So they meet again.

This Saturday night will mark four months to the day that the Cleveland Monsters and Hershey Bears last squared off. Back on those hot June nights, the two clubs staged a memorable seven-game fight in the Eastern Conference Finals. Finally it was the Bears who came away with a Game 7 victory on a Garrett Roe goal into overtime on June 12. That victory sent the Bears into the Calder Cup Finals, where they captured their second consecutive championship title in a six-game series win against the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

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Now it’s time for a rematch as each club opens its 2024-25 AHL season. Roe is back and so are many of those same Bears as they prepare to raise the club’s 13th Calder Cup championship banner at Giant Center before they host Cleveland in the first-ever FloHockey AHL Game of the Week (7 p.m. ET), which will stream live and free across FloHockey's social media platforms. See below for details on how and where to watch.

What You Need To Know About Hershey Vs. Cleveland

Game Details

Cleveland Monsters at Hershey Bears, Saturday, 7 p.m. ET*

Where to Watch: Subscribers can continue to watch via FloHockey.tv or the FloSports app 

Free Streams: Follow the game across FloHockey's social channels including YouTube, Facebook and X. More details below.

*Note: Hershey will start its Calder Cup banner-raising ceremony around 6:40 p.m. ET

What To Watch For

Hershey is bidding to become the first team to win three consecutive Calder Cup titles since Springfield did so between 1960-62. Last season the Bears tore through the AHL regular season, going 53-14-0-5 (.771) and falling just short of recording the best points percentage in league history (.775) set by Binghamton in 1992-93. Forward Hendrix Lapierre, the most valuable player of last spring’s postseason, has graduated to the parent Washington Capitals. The Hershey blue line is missing captain Dylan McIlrath, who made the Washington roster out of training camp at 32 years old. Jimmy Huntington, another forward, is now with the archrival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins just to the north on I-81. Leading scorer Joe Snively departed for the Detroit Red Wings organization.

Washington Capitals Prospects To Watch With Hershey

• Ivan Miroschnicenko, F
• Hunter Shepard, G
• Ethen Frank, F
• Pierrick Dubé, F
• Vincent Iorio, D

Much of the Hershey core has returned, starting with the Hunter Shepard-Clay Stevenson goaltending tandem. A deep back end headed by veterans Aaron Ness and Chase Priskie along with Hardy Haman-Aktell and Vincent Iorio are as good as any in the AHL. And head coach Todd Nelson returns along with his five Calder Cup rings. Up front there is Mike Sgarbossa, who finished last season with Washington and did not participate in the championship run, is again in Hershey; last season he dished out 7-36-43 in 44 games before his promotion to the Capitals. Ethen Frank (29 goals), Pierrick Dubé (28 goals), and Alex Limoges (24 goals) return. So do veteran glue presence Mike Vecchione.

Hershey features top prospect Ivan Miroshnichenko, who was taken by Washington 20th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. The 20-year-old forward broke out in the postseason with 7-5-12 in 20 games. Iorio, 21, has broken into the Washington line-up in each of his first two pro seasons after going to the Capitals in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft. Stevenson went 24-10-2 with seven shutouts to go with a 2.06 goals-against average and .922 save percentage in his first AHL campaign.

The Bears also secured one of the AHL’s top offseason catches, defenseman Brad Hunt. With 288 NHL games and at 36 years old, Hunt is coming off a stellar performance as a First Team AHL All-Star last season with the Colorado Eagles, finishing 16-33-49 in 70 games. He made it clear during training camp why he signed with Hershey – to win a Calder Cup. Hershey has NHL veteran Ethan Bear as well following his assignment from Washington. Also coming to Hershey are forwards Luke Philp (Rockford) and Spencer Smallman (Colorado). Philp had a 29-goal effort with the IceHogs before missing most of last season with an injury. Smallman is a versatile up-front option for Nelson.

Columbus Blue Jackets Prospects To Watch With Cleveland

• Denton Mateychuk, D
• Corson Ceulemans, D
• Stanislav Svozil, D
• Trey-Fix Wolanski, F
• Jet Greaves, G

On the other side of the ice will be a dramatically reshaped Cleveland roster. Defensemen Jake Christiansen and David Jiricek have stuck with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Captain Brendan Gaunce is now with Iowa. Josh Dunne (Rochester), Carson Meyer (San Diego), Billy Sweezey (Providence), and Jakub Zboril (New Jersey) have all departed while Alex Whelan retired. Forward Trey Fix-Wolansky (26-34-60 last season) is back, though. So is netminder Jet Greaves, who had a breakout season and played a major role in taking the Monsters to the brink of the Calder Cup Finals.

Still, it’s the young Cleveland blue line that brings the most excitement, starting with rookie Denton Mateychuk. The 12th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Mateychuk stepped right from the Memorial Cup and into the Cleveland line-up last June following a standout Western Hockey League season with Moose Jaw. Named the WHL’s top defenseman and its playoff most valuable player, Mateychuk already plays a steady, composed game as a 20-year-old. He will log heavy minutes for the Monsters. Cleveland also has two other defensive prospects – 2021 first-rounder Corson Ceulemans and the steadily progressing Stanislav Svozil.

How To Watch AHL Free Stream On YouTube

On Saturday nights throughout the season, the AHL and FloHockey will present a free Game of the Week on YouTube. The home team's broadcast will be shared as a free stream on FloHockey's YouTube page. The free broadcast will begin shortly before puck drop. Check FloHockey and AHL social channels to see which game will be streaming each week.

WATCH HERE

How To Watch AHL Free Stream On X

On Saturday nights throughout the season, the AHL and FloHockey will present a free Game of the Week on X (formerly known as Twitter). The home team's broadcast will be shared as a free stream on FloHockey's Twitter page. The free broadcast will begin shortly before puck drop, posted on FloHockey's X feed. Check FloHockey and AHL social channels to see which game will be streaming each week.

WATCH HERE

How To Watch AHL Free Stream On Facebook

On Saturday nights throughout the season, the AHL and FloHockey will present a free Game of the Week on Facebook. You can access the game multiple ways on the Facebook. FloHockey will stream both home and road (if available) broadcasts on its Facebook page. The game can also be found live on the AHL's Facebook page.

WATCH HERE

When Does The AHL Season Start in 2024?

The season begins on Oct. 11, 2024 with the Milwaukee Admirals traveling to the Grand Rapids Griffins at 7 p.m. EDT and the Syracuse Crunch traveling to the Utica Comets at the same time. 

There are a total of 29 games over the opening weekend. 

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