Bears @ Sound Tigers Preview, 1/16

Hershey Bears
record ~ 28-12-0-1 57 points
standings ~ 1st in East Division
most recent game ~ 7-2 Loss vs Albany, 1/12
last 5 games ~ 2-3-0-0
road record ~ 13-7-0-1
goals for ~ 161
goals against ~119
power play ~ 16.2% (17th)
penalty kill ~ 81.9% (20th)


Bridgeport Sound Tigers
record ~ 24-11-2-2 52 points
standings ~ 2nd in East Division
most recent game ~ 4-2 Loss @ Hartford, 1/14
last 5 games ~ 2-3-0-0
home record ~ 13-3-1-1
goals for ~ 126
goals against ~ 105
power play ~ 19.7% (7th)
penalty kill ~ 83.4% (12th)

last time teams met - Hershey won 4-1 in Hershey on November 22nd.

Players to watch:

Hershey:

G Daren Machesney (1)- Supposed to get the start tonight he is 10-5 with 3 shutouts on the season. But in his last 4 games for Hershey he has allowed 16 goals on 78 shots for a save percentage under .800.
D Sami Lepisto (37) - Hasn't been particularly good in recent games and hasn't been producing at all on the offensive end in months. Only has 1 point in his last 15 games which could explain why he is pressing a little more than usual.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - Easily one of the more consistent offensive performers for the Bears of late. In his 8 games so far in 2009 he has 4 goals and 8 assists.

Sound Tigers:

C Ben Walter (9) - He has played in 24 games for Bridgeport this season and has a point in 17 of them. He has a goal in each of his last 2 games and a point in 8 of his last 9.
LW Trevor Smith (23) - Leading the team in goals with 19. In his last 13 games he has scored 12 goals.
RW Mike Iggulden (37) - He has the team lead with 42 points this season. So far in 2009 he has played in 6 games and has a goal and 5 assists.


News and Notes:

• Jay Beagle returned to the lineup on Wednesday for the first time since November 8th.
• Darren Reid, Patrick McNeill, and Josh Godfrey were not scheduled to make the trip to Bridgeport.
• Graham Mink was questionable to make the trip as he is suffering from an illness.

• Bridgeport has only lost 2 in a row once this season (they lost their last game).
• They have also won 4 straight at home BUT have lost their last 2 home home games against East division rivals.