SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -  The Springfield Thunderbirds (36-23-3-5, 80 points) return home for the first time in nearly a month as they host the Hershey Bears (41-17-5-4, 91 points) on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. before a sellout crowd inside the MassMutual Center. 

It marks the fourth and final matchup of the 2022-23 regular season against the Bears, who have already clinched a bye into the Atlantic Division Semifinals as a top-2 seed in the division. Hershey still has much to play for, however, as they sit just one point back of Providence in the Atlantic standings.

Hershey has gotten the better of Springfield in the first three matchups of the season series, winning in Springfield by a 2-1 score on Nov. 23 before taking a pair of games in Hershey by final scores of 5-3 an 6-2 on Jan. 13 and Jan. 14, respectively. The Bears boast five former Thunderbirds on their active roster, including forwards Sam Anas, Henrik Borgstrom, and Mike Sgarbossa, as well as defensemen Jake Massie and Dylan McIlrath. 

The Thunderbirds, who have won 21 of their last 30 games dating back to Jan. 17, sit poised to clinch a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs for a second straight season. Their magic number to clinch sits at just 3, and there is a trio of scenarios that would allow Springfield to punch its ticket to the postseason. Each situation involves Springfield getting points against the Bears while also getting a favorable result in a matchup between Hartford and Bridgeport, which also will get underway at 7:00 p.m. on Friday night.

Springfield clinches a playoff berth on Friday with:
(a) a win vs. Hershey AND a regulation finish in the Bridgeport-Hartford game, OR
(b) a win vs. Hershey AND a Bridgeport OTL/SOL at Hartford, OR
(c) an OTL/SOL vs. Hershey AND a Bridgeport regulation loss at Hartford

Should Springfield win and Bridgeport pick up an overtime or shootout win in Hartford, Springfield's magic number would fall to 1. The Thunderbirds' weekend continues into the state of Pennsylvania for a matchup against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Saturday night at PPL Center. 

Thunderbirds fans can reserve their seats for upcoming games by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.