Game information
#5 Hershey Bears (2-0) at #2 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (0-0)
April 30, 2026 | 7:05 p.m. | Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza | Series tied, 0-0
Referees: Morgan MacPhee (43), Nick Isaacson (81)
Linespersons: Dylan Blujus (57), John Rey (16)
Broadcast Information
PXP: Zack Fisch, Garrett Mitchell, and Todd Sadowski
TV: Antenna TV (WPMT FOX 43.2, Xfinity Ch. 247 and 1178, Verizon FiOS Ch. 463, Blue Ridge Ephrata Ch. 91, and Blue Ridge Newberry/Duncannon Ch. 88)
Radio: WFVY-100.1-FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, SportsRadio 98.9-FM & WOYK 1350-AM
Watch live: AHLTV on FloHockey
Listen live: Froggy Valley 100.1-FM Stream, Fox Sports 1460-AM Stream
Game preview
After sweeping the Bridgeport Islanders out of the first round of the playoffs, the Hershey Bears have a taller task waiting in front of them in the second round. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Atlantic Division’s second seed, will be the Bears’ opponent in the best-of-five series.
Hershey will face WBS thanks to former Bears defenseman Calle Rosen. Traded earlier in the season, the Springfield Thunderbirds’ rearguard scored the OTGWG in Game 3 of their first-round series to help sixth-seeded Springfield upset the third-seeded Charlotte Checkers.
Due to reseeding, Springfield is set to play the Atlantic Division champion Providence Bruins, the number-one seed, while the Bears get a fun matchup with their I-81 Rival.
Both the Bears and Penguins should be well rested as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton comes into Game 1 after a first-round bye and a 12-day break in action, while Hershey has been off for seven days.
The last time the Penguins were in action, they blew out the Rochester Americans 8-0 in their regular-season finale on April 18. Rutger McGroarty and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard each collected a pair of goals while Sergei Murashov earned a 27-save shutout.
WBS will get no extra help player-wise from their parent NHL club, which was just eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night. Their playoff roster has been set since the final weekend of the AHL regular season.
Hershey comes into the series led by goaltender Clay Stevenson. “Mud” was dominant in the Bears’ opening two playoff games, posting a 2-0 record along with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage.
While Hershey struggled against WBS in the regular season (3-5-2 record), Stevenson was in net for two of Hershey’s three victories against the Penguins, sporting a 2-1-1 record with a 1.86 GAA and a .934 save percentage. In 16 career outings versus Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Stevenson is 9-4-2 with a 2.52 goals-against average, a .909 save percentage, and one shutout.
Coming into tonight’s Game 1, the Bears are led in playoff points by Bogdan Trineyev with 3 (1g, 2a), while three other Hershey skaters have 2: Andrew Cristall (2g), Ilya Protas (1g, 1a), and Grant Cruikshank (2a).
The Bears will see one familiar face on the other end of the ice. Alex Alexeyev, who previously suited up for the Washington Capitals and Bears earlier in his career, signed with the Penguins over the offseason before getting sent down to the minors early in the season.
Alexeyev is close friends with Ivan Miroshnichenko, whom he may end up matching up against for much of the series.
Miro has had much success against the Penguins in the past. Per the Bears, Miroshnichenko has 14 points (9g, 5a) in 25 career regular-season games against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, representing the largest offensive total of his career against an individual AHL opponent in the regular season; he had seven points (4g, 3a) in eight contests against the Penguins during the 2025-26 campaign, including the game-winner in Hershey’s 5-1 win at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on April 15.
WBS has home ice in this series. They host Games 1, 2, and 5 (if necessary).
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