Then-Bear Chris Bourque skates across the Winter Classic logo at last year’s Outdoor Classic in Philadelphia. Since he’s playing in the Bruins system at the moment, it’s not a scene you’ll see repeated on Sunday (Photo Credit: M. Richter)
With less than 48 hours left until the Hershey Bears take the ice for their second outdoor game in two years, they fell 3-2 to the visiting Lake Erie Monsters. This most recent loss closed out a three game winning streak that the Bears had been riding since their loss to perennial rivals (and fellow 2013 Outdoor Classic participants) the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Last year, the Bears took on the Adirondack Phantoms in an outdoor event that closed out a week of festivities surrounding the 2012 Winter Classic in Philadelphia. This year, the AHL Outdoor Classic is the main event. With the cancelation of the 2013 Winter Classic and associated events, Bears v. Penguins will be the only outdoor game played in the 2012-13 hockey season in either the AHL or NHL.
Friday Night’s Game (By the Numbers)
- Philipp Grubauer was in net (stopping 20 of 23 shots).
- Boyd Kane and Jeff Taffe had Hershey’s two goals (first and last in the game, respectively).
- Ryan Potulny, Tomas Kundratek, Garrett Mitchell, and Jon DiSalvatore each logged a single assist.
- Hershey’s Jon Kalinski led the game in penalty minutes, with a major and game misconduct for elbowing early in the third period.
Outdoor Classic Details
- Saturday @ 3PM: Bears v. Penguins Alumni Game
- Sunday @ 5PM: Hershey Bears v. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (it’s their 9th meeting of the season, out of a total of 12. Hershey currently leads the series 6-2)
- Saturday & Sunday @ 12PM: Fanfest
Television Notes:
While the game is being televised, this year’s availability is a bit on the awkward side when looking outside of the Hershey/Harrisburg region…
- If you live in Canada, you’ll be able to watch the Sunday Outdoor Classic on live television (Sportsnet).
- If you live in the region surrounding Harrisburg, the game will be broadcast on ABC-27.
- If you live in the DC Metro Area, like most Caps fans, your only option for a live viewing (or any viewing, at least of the legal variety) is to stream the game via AHL Live ($7).
- If you happen to be overseas, however, you can also get access to the game on ESPN America.
