HERSHEY, Pa. — It's been a tradition in Hershey for decades, the Bears playing at home the night before Thanksgiving.
The longest run the team had hosted on Thanksgiving Eve was from 1987 through 2017. This year, the Bears welcomed their I-81 rivals from Wilkes-Barre and sent them back for the holiday with a 2-1 loss.
Captain Dylan McIlrath opened the scoring in the first period to give the Bears an early lead. The Pens tied it before the break but Riley Sutter took a gorgeous feed from teenage rookie Ivan Miroshnichenko in the second period to give Hershey an advantage they never relinquished.
The defending Calder Cup Champs are off to a fast start and now have a league-best 13 wins in the first 17 games.
Goalie Hunter Shepard recorded 22 saves for the win.
The Bears are in first place in the Atlantic Division and now host the Iowa Wild on both Saturday and Sunday at Giant Center.