While the Hershey Bears rely heavily on strong special teams play, the American Hockey League’s overall points leaders do not neglect the even-strength game.

Hershey has scored 86 goals at even strength and surrendered 82, leaving the Bears as one of just 13 squads in the 30-team AHL with a positive even-strength differential.

Mark French’s team leads the league in power-play goals (55) and sits tied with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Springfield Falcons with nine short-handed scores. But only the Norfolk Admirals (95), St. John’s IceCaps (92) and Rockford IceHogs (87) have scored more even-strength goals than the Bears. The Baby Penguins have also scored 86 goals at even strength.

If Hershey’s special teams start to slip at all in the second half, though, the Bears’ position atop the East Division could be in peril.

That’s because the second-place Admirals (plus-29) and third-place Baby Pens (plus-15) both excel at even strength, which means their play is not likely to experience the ups-and-downs associated with a team like the Bears that dominates on special teams.

The other AHL teams with positive even-strength goal differentials: Milwaukee Admirals (plus-24), Oklahoma City Barons (plus-14), St. John’s IceCaps (plus-11), Rochester Americans (plus-8), Houston Aeros (plus-8), Worcester Sharks (plus-5), Chicago Wolves (plus-3), San Antonio Rampage (plus-3), Abbotsford Heat (plus-2) and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (plus-2).

Climbing the charts

With three games coming up this weekend, Hershey center Keith Aucoin can move up both the AHL and Bears all-time assist and point-scoring lists.

Aucoin, who leads the league with 55 assists and 64 points, needs five more helpers to tie Art Stratton for fifth place all-time on the AHL list. Stratton, who played from 1955 to 1975, had 555 assists.

One more assist ties Aucoin for 10th on Hershey’s all-time list with Obie O’Brien, who had 252 during his time with the Bears from 1951 to 1959. Mitch Lamoureux is also within reach in ninth place with 254 helpers.

As for total points, Aucoin is 16th in AHL history with 771. Two more and he pulls even for 15th place with Bruce Cline (1955-1968) at 773.

On Hershey’s all-time scoring list, Aucoin occupies 17th place with 338 points. Directly in front of him is linemate Chris Bourque with 356.

Season to forget

As bad as the Erie Otters have been in 2011-12, their woeful campaign won’t go down as one of the worst in Ontario Hockey League history.

Sure, Robbie Ftorek’s club sits at 5-35-1-1 (12 points) after Sunday’s loss, but the OHL marks for fewest wins and points are not in play.

The 1995-96 London Knights finished just 3-60-3 during a 66-game season. Their victory (three) and point totals (nine) established records for futility.

The 2000-01 Mississauga Ice Dogs equaled the mark of fewest wins by going 3-56-7 in their 68-game season and finished with 11 points.

With 26 games left in the OHL regular season, the Otters can’t match the league mark for most losses. That record is 63, set by the 1982-83 Guelph Platers in a 70-game schedule.