Marcus Foligno was only 6 when his father, Mike, succeeded Bob Hartley as head coach of the Hershey Bears in June 1998.

Growing up as the son of an American Hockey League bench boss certainly has its perks.

“My greatest memories were just being able to come out to the morning skates and shoot on (goalie) Phil Sauve,” Marcus Foligno said Sunday after playing his first game in Hershey as a member of the Rochester Americans.

Mike Foligno’s two sons – Nick and Marcus – both worked as stick boys and dressing room assistants during their father’s five-year run as Bears coach.

Now, both are pro players themselves. Nick, a National Hockey League regular, was a first-round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2006. Marcus was taken in the fourth round, 104th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in 2009.

While his father couldn’t make the Hershey return a family affair Sunday night, Marcus Foligno savored every moment of being back in Giant Center.

“It was unbelievable to be here playing against the Bears,” Foligno said. “I have a lot of memories, a lot of good memories, too. I was anxious to get going.

“The rink seemed a little bit smaller this time around, but it was a lot of fun out there.”

'I owe a lot of people in this community'

Wearing No. 71 as does his brother in Ottawa, Foligno chipped in an assist, had three shots and was a plus-3, but the Amerks still fell to the Bears, 4-3, in a shootout.

Mike Foligno coached the Bears from 1998-99 through 2002-03, winning 186 games – the third-most in franchise history. When he left Hershey to take over as coach and general manager of the Ontario Hockey League’s Sudbury Wolves in June 2003, Marcus was 11.

During his rookie AHL season with Rochester, Marcus Foligno has 10 goals and nine assists in 34 games.

The youngest Foligno credited his time in central Pennsylvania for some of his hockey success.

“Just being in this community really helped me put together a competitive spirit for hockey,” he said. “I owe a lot of people in this community a lot of things, especially Doug Yingst, whom I played for with the Hershey Junior Bears.

“My time here was just a lot of fun, and being in Hershey is where I really started growing as a player.”