The Hershey Bears carried a 7-4-0-0 record into a scheduled American Hockey League road game against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Nov. 6, 2026, at 7:05 p.m. The game was set for MassMutual Center, with Springfield entering at 3-4-2-1.
Hershey Bears Enter After Special-Teams Win
Hershey defeated the Hartford Wolf Pack 4-1 in its previous game. Josh Dunne, Louie Belpedio, Alex Suzdalev and Petr Sikora scored for the Bears, who went 2-for-2 on the power play and were perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
Springfield had been idle since a 4-2 home loss to Hartford, in which former Bear Nathan Walker scored for the Thunderbirds.
Hershey Bears Bring Strong Shot Suppression
Hershey allowed 24.45 shots per game, ranking third in the league. Over their previous two games, the Bears permitted only 31 shots total—16 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and 15 against Hartford.
The Bears had held opponents to single-digit shots on goal in 10 consecutive periods dating back to their Oct. 30 road victory at Rochester. Conversely, Springfield allowed the highest rate in the league at 32.80 shots on goal per game.
Hershey had played just two road games—the fewest in the AHL—while playing nine home games, the most in the league. The Bears held a 33-9-3-1 record against Springfield at MassMutual Center and went 1-1-0-0 there the previous season.
T.J. Tynan Headlines Springfield Thunderbirds Preview
T.J. Tynan led Springfield with 10 points through 10 games, including two goals and eight assists. He ranked seventh in AHL history with 587 assists, won the Les Cunningham Award in 2020-21 and 2021-22, and captured a Calder Cup with Lake Erie in 2016.
Tynan had appeared in two regular-season games against Hershey during the 2014-15 season, recording one goal and one assist. He was scheduled to face Jacob MacDonald, making his first appearance against Springfield since leaving the franchise after the 2018-19 season.
MacDonald led Springfield defensemen with 43 points, including 14 goals and 29 assists, in 72 games during the 2018-19 season. Hershey’s roster also featured former Thunderbirds Sam Bitten and Dylan McIlrath, while MacDonald and Dalton Smith played for Springfield’s previous franchise, the Springfield Falcons.
Hershey Bears Players to Watch
Louie Belpedio entered the matchup tied for the league lead in game-winning goals by a defenseman with two. Lynden Lakovic ranked ninth in rookie scoring with eight points.
Chris Wagner was scheduled to play the 500th game of his AHL career in the next matchup. Springfield forward Jack Finley is the son of former Bears defenseman Jeff Finley, who played for Hershey during the 1994-95 season.
Game Information and Broadcast
The Hershey Bears were scheduled to visit the Springfield Thunderbirds at 7:05 p.m. Nov. 6, 2026, at MassMutual Center. Radio pregame coverage was set to begin at 6:35 p.m.
Zack Fisch was scheduled to handle the broadcast. The game would air on WFVY 100.1-FM and Fox Sports 1460-AM, with streaming available on AHLTV via FloHockey.
MSB Analysis
Hershey entered the scheduled matchup with a statistical edge in shot suppression, allowing 24.45 shots per game compared with Springfield’s league-high 32.80. The Bears also brought a strong special-teams performance from their previous game against Hartford.
Tynan’s production and MacDonald’s scheduled return to Springfield provided additional storylines for the American Hockey League meeting.
Bears Bites
Louie Belpedio is tied for the league lead for game-winning goals by a defenseman (2). Lynden Lakovic is tied for ninth in rookie scoring with eight points. Springfield forward Jack Finley is the son of former Bears defenseman Jeff Finley, who played with the club during the 1994-95 season and was a former teammate of Bears head coach Derek King with the New York Islanders and Springfield Indians.
Thunderbirds forward Chris Wagner’s next game will be the 500th of his AHL career. Bears assistant coach Brent Thompson played for the Springfield Falcons in the mid-1990s, and vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer played for the Falcons during two stints in 2003-04 and 2012-13. Springfield players Nathan Walker, Kale Kessy, and Calle Rosén have previously played for the Bears, while Thunderbirds assistant coach Chad Wiseman played for Hershey during the 2006-07 season.
On This Date in Bears History
Nov. 6, 1966 – The Bears set a club record for most goals scored in a single game, beating the Buffalo Bisons 15-6 at Buffalo. The game also featured 43 individual player points, another club record. Right wing Wayne Rivers led the way with seven points in the contest on the strength of three goals and four assists.
Source: Original report
