Capitals Beat Flyers 5-2 Before Split Crowd in Hershey
Washington and Philadelphia fans filled GIANT Center, home of the AHL’s Hershey Bears, for Monday’s NHL preseason game.
The Washington Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 on Monday night at GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where fans of both teams filled the 10,500-seat home of the Capitals’ AHL affiliate.
Red, orange and brown jerseys filled the arena. The brown belonged to Bears fans, while Capitals and Flyers supporters produced what the NHL described as an almost even response to goals, hits and close plays.
“I love the family atmosphere that the Bears always have, and it’s great to see both sets of teams,” said local fan Gwen Wilson, who wore a Bears jersey. “Seems like it’s fairly balanced between the Bears fans and the Phantoms fans, so a lot of both colors.”
Her husband, Gary, said the noise felt similar to a regular Bears game. “Too much orange around here,” he joked. “But it’s a packed house.”
Capitals fan Jacob Martin drove two hours to attend. “Atmosphere is incredible. Stadium: amazing. It’s just like Capital One,” he said. “Especially with all the Flyers fans here, it feels like a competitive environment.”
Ronnie, a Flyers fan who has also adopted the Bears, wore a Philadelphia jersey and a Hershey hat. “What’s cool about this place is it’s really close to an NHL atmosphere,” he said. “I was getting that in Philly, and you can feel it here.”
For Hershey regulars, another draw was seeing former Bears Dylan McIlrath and Clay Stevenson return to GIANT Center ice with Washington. Fan Logan Kelly called the atmosphere “electric” and said he missed seeing them with the Bears.
