The Hershey Bears were graced by the presence of several former players for their game against the Bridgeport Islanders on Saturday night.
With their NHL seasons wrapped up with the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers, former Hershey roommates Hendrix Lapierre and Vincent Iorio made their way to Giant Center to root on some of their past teammates.
Joining them for the action was also current Caps assistant coach Patrick Wellar and other former Calder Cup champions who are now retired or play overseas: Chase Priskie, Garrett Roe, and Jake Massie.
Lapierre, Iorio, Massie, and Wellar were all part of both the 2023 and 2024 Cup-winning Bears teams, while Priskie and Roe, who is now retired, were just on the 2024 club. This year’s Bears have already secured a return to the AHL postseason and are fighting to improve their playoff positioning in the Atlantic Division.
With the Capitals this season, Lapierre recorded 16 points (4g, 12a) in 74 games, often playing a bottom-six role. He is a restricted free agent this summer after signing a one-year, $850k deal with the Caps last July.
Wellar was the lone other visitor on Saturday to remain in the organization this season, earning a promotion to the Capitals’ staff after Mitch Love was fired in October. He served under head coach Spencer Carbery as the team’s defense coach, managing the minutes of the rearguards.
Iorio started the 2025-26 season with the Capitals, but was claimed off waivers by the San Jose Sharks shortly after regular-season games began in October. He played 21 games for the Sharks before being waived again and claimed by the Rangers, where he then played six games.
Priskie and Massie both played the year in the KHL. Priskie recorded 24 points (4g, 20a) in 50 games for Sibir Novosibirsk, while Massie recorded 25 points (8g, 17a) in 67 games for Barys Astana.
The Bears fell 2-1 on Saturday night, but will be right back on the ice Sunday afternoon against the Rochester Americans. The matchup is their final regular-season contest of the year.
