Andrew Cristall is finally off the schnide.
The Washington Capitals‘ talented 2023 second-round pick scored his first goal of the 2026-27 season in the Hershey Bears’ 6-1 victory over the Springfield Thunderbirds on Saturday, snapping a season-opening 12-game goal drought.
Cristall broke through 14:26 into the first period on a five-on-three power play. Veteran forward Jonny Brodzinski sent a pass across the seam to the young forward, who hammered a one-timer from the right circle into the back of the net.
Andrew Cristall’s first goal of the season
Despite the lack of lamp lighters, Cristall has still found a ton of success offensively this season. The goal was his 11th point of the season, tying him with Brodzinski for the team lead 13 games into the season.
Hershey Bears’ top 10 scorers (2026-27)
| Rank | Player | GP | G | A | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonny Brodzinski | 11 | 5 | 6 | 11 |
| 2 | Andrew Cristall | 13 | 10 | 11 | |
| 3 | Lynden Lakovic | 13 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| 4 | Spencer Smallman | 13 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| 5 | Josh Dunne | 13 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| 6 | Bogdan Trineyev | 13 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| 7 | Petr Sikora | 13 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| 8 | Joey Anderson | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 9 | Louie Belpedio | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 10 | Grant Cruikshank | 13 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Cristall’s 10 assissts are also tied for seventh most in the AHL earlier in the season.
As Cristall broke his drought, the Bears also got goals from Petr Sikora (2), Dalton Smith, Brodzinski, and Ryan Chesley (ENG) to empathically bounce back from their 4-2 loss from the night before.
The Bears continue to sit second in the Atlantic Division with 16 standings points, trailing only the Charlotte Checkers (17).
