Aaron Ness and Matt Strome seem to deliver on-ice farewells to Hershey Bears fans and teammates: 'I hope it's not the end'

"The Hershey Bears' 2025-26 season came to an end in heartbreaking fashion on Thursday night when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defeated Hershey 4-1 in Game 4, taking the Atlantic Division Semifinals series three games to one."

"Ness, who was an alternate captain on the Hershey Bears' 2023 and 2024 Calder Cup championship teams, was asked if this were the final time he'd put on a Bears sweater. "I don't know," Ness replied. "Nothing's promised the older you get, obviously. So, yeah, we'll see. You can't always say 100 percent for sure. There's a lot of things that still need to be talked about. Converse with my family and here. But obviously, this is the one place I'd want to play if I'm coming back. It's been unbelievable. And I've had an absolute blast here playing with a lot of great players, a lot of great people. It's been a lot of fun. I've been very lucky to do this as long as I have."

""The crazy part about this whole thing is, I started skating when I was two years old back home," he continued. "And you've been doing it for so long. And you never think there's an end. You just don't. I want to play forever, obviously, right? You can play forever. And then you get to a certain age, like where I'm at now, and it's like, 'Oh, okay, well, no"

"For several Bears, including rookies Ilya Protas and Andrew Cristall, the campaign marked the beginning of what will likely be long careers in professional hockey. While on the other side of the coin, Aaron Ness and Matt Strome may have played their final games with Hershey."

The Hershey Bears’ 2025-26 season ended after a 4-1 Game 4 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, giving the Penguins a 3-1 Atlantic Division Semifinals series win. The defeat brought closure to the campaign for several players, including rookies Ilya Protas and Andrew Cristall, whose experiences marked the start of long professional careers. Aaron Ness and Matt Strome appeared to be playing their final games with Hershey, with Ness honored as the Third Star of the Game. Both players had emotional goodbyes on the ice and were visibly tearful in the media room. Ness reflected on uncertainty about his future and gratitude for his time with the organization.

Read at RMNB