Bears Loan Forward Matt Pope to Reading

HERSHEY, Pa. – The HERSHEY BEARS announced today that the club has loaned forward Matt Pope to the ECHL’s Reading Royals. The announcement was made by BEARS President/GM Doug Yingst.

Pope, 28, has spent the entire season in HERSHEY to date. He appeared in 21 games and recorded one goal, three assists and eight penalty minutes. In his first season with the BEARS in 2011-12, Pope scored seven goals and added four assists in 45 games.

The 6-1, 193-pound native of Langley, BC has played in total of 173 AHL games with HERSHEY, San Antonio, Manitoba and Binghamton, tallying 42 points (19 goals, 23 assists).

Pope was named a starter in the 2009 ECHL All-Star Game, during his first professional season. With ECHL Bakersfield in 2008-09, Pope racked up 30 goals and 33 assists in 54 games.

Prior to turning pro, Pope played four years at Bemidji State University (WCHA), amassing 71 points (33 goals, 38 assists) in 143 career games.

The BEARS open up the 2013 portion of their schedule on Saturday, January 5 with a 7:00 PM faceoff against the Binghamton Senators. HERSHEY also hosts the Worcester Sharks on Sunday, January 6 at 5:00 PM, and the first 4,000 fans through the gates will receive a knit cap courtesy of PSECU.

Tickets for these games and all remaining HERSHEY BEARS home games may be purchased at the GIANT Center box office, by calling (717) 508-BEAR, or online at TicketMaster.com.