November 29, 2025 at Giant Center, Hershey, PA
Ilya Protas scored twice and David Gucciardi recorded his first career three-point night as the Hershey Bears defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 6-2 Saturday night at Giant Center.
The victory improved Hershey to 11-6-1-0 and split the weekend series with first-place WBS (15-5-1-0). Clay Stevenson made 35 saves for his sixth consecutive win.
Game Summary
First Period – Hershey Strikes Twice in 84 Seconds
The Bears took control early with two goals in less than two minutes. Graeme Clarke opened scoring at 5:42, jumping out of the penalty box to finish a feed from Brett Leason and Ilya Protas.
Just 84 seconds later, Protas buried a power-play goal at 7:06. Andrew Cristall stripped Jack St. Ivany at the blue line, and Ivan Miroshnichenko found Protas in the slot with a backhanded pass.
St. Ivany cut the deficit to 2-1 at 16:19 with his first goal of the season, assisted by Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty (extending his point streak to five games).
Second Period – Bears Pull Away
Sam Bitten made it 3-1 at 10:17, with David Gucciardi collecting his third consecutive game with an assist.
Gucciardi then netted his first goal of the season at 14:43, assisted by Graeme Clarke and Andrew Cristall, extending Hershey’s lead to 4-1.
Gabe Klassen scored for WBS at 19:24, tipping a Harrison Brunicke shot past Stevenson to make it 4-2. Phil Tomasino earned the secondary assist.
Joel Blomqvist was pulled after two periods, having allowed four goals on 16 shots.
Third Period – Hershey Seals Victory
Ivan Miroshnichenko converted a 4-on-3 power play at 4:34, assisted by Gucciardi and Louie Belpedio. The goal gave Hershey a 5-2 cushion.
Protas added an empty-net goal at 14:10, assisted by Grant Cruikshank, to complete his two-goal night and cap the scoring.
Three Stars
1. David Gucciardi, Hershey (D) – 1G, 2A, +2, 1 shot First career three-point game for the defenseman, who also extended his assist streak to three games.
2. Ilya Protas, Hershey (C) – 2G, 1A, 3 shots Extended his goal streak to seven consecutive games (8G, 6A over that span). Has five multi-point games during the streak.
3. Clay Stevenson, Hershey (G) – 35 saves on 37 shots, .946 SV% Sixth consecutive win. Made several key saves in the second period to preserve Hershey’s lead.
Player Highlights
Hershey Bears:
- Andrew Cristall added two assists, bringing his season total to 10
- Graeme Clarke had 1G-1A and led all skaters with six shots, finishing +2
- Louie Belpedio extended his point streak to four games (longest by any Bears player this season) despite accumulating 19 penalty minutes
- Brett Leason finished +2 with an assist
- Sam Bitten scored his third goal of the season, finishing +1
- Simon Pinard was +1 in his Bears debut after being recalled from South Carolina (ECHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins:
- Rutger McGroarty extended his point streak to a career-best five games with an assist
- Jack St. Ivany scored his first goal of the season but finished -2
- Phil Tomasino (+1) and Alex Alexeyev (+1) were the only Penguins with positive plus/minus ratings
- Gabe Klassen scored his second goal of the season
Game Statistics
Final Score: Hershey 6, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 2
Shots: HER 24, WBS 37 | Power Play: HER 2-6, WBS 0-2 | Penalties: HER 25 min, WBS 41 min
Goaltending:
- Clay Stevenson (HER): 35/37 saves, .946 SV% (W)
- Joel Blomqvist (WBS): 12/16 saves, .750 SV% (L, pulled after 2nd)
- Sergei Murashov (WBS): 4/5 saves, .800 SV% (relief)
Quotes
Derek King (Hershey head coach): “We played two solid periods against that team on Thanksgiving there. And we need to play three good periods. And I thought we did a better job. It wasn’t always pretty, but we at least played consistently for three periods.”
David Gucciardi (on his career night): “We were ready to go from the jump. I think we got a ton of confidence from those last two periods Wednesday night, and we kind of brought that tonight.”
Key Storylines
Protas’ Seven-Game Goal Streak: The 21-year-old Washington Capitals prospect has 8 goals and 6 assists since November 14, tying the longest active goal streak in the AHL.
Gucciardi’s Breakout: First career three-point game (1G-2A) for the defenseman, whose goal at 14:43 proved to be the game-winner.
Special Teams Dominance: Hershey converted twice on six power plays, while WBS went 0-for-2. The 4-on-3 goal sealed the game.
Stevenson’s Hot Streak: Six consecutive wins with a .946 save percentage despite facing 37 shots.
Discipline Cost WBS: 41 penalty minutes (Phil Tomasino 14 PIM, Bokondji Imama 14 PIM) gave Hershey extended power-play opportunities.
What’s Next
Hershey Bears (11-6-1-0): Host the Laval Rocket on Sunday, November 30 at 5:00 PM for Hockey Fights Cancer Night at Giant Center. All fans receive a light-up bracelet courtesy of Penn State Health.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (15-5-1-0): Return home to face the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday, December 5 at 7:05 PM at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza. The game features $2 beers from Coors Light (6:00-7:30 PM) and postgame player autographs.
CLICK ON IMAGE FOR FULL GALLERY
Ilya Protas extended his goal streak to seven games with two goals as Hershey Bears defeated Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 6-2 at Giant Center. Gucciardi adds 3 points.
