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Hershey Bears COVID-19 outbreak causes five games to be postponed

By Chris Cerullo

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December 6, 2021 11:53 pm

The Washington Capitals are currently facing a COVID-19 outbreak on their roster as three players have ended up in COVID protocol during the last week: Nic Dowd, Garnet Hathaway, and Trevor van Riemsdyk. That’s a situation that the Hershey Bears know all too well and are just now beginning to recover from.

Hershey hasn’t played in a game since the 26th of November and is currently scheduled to resume action on December 11 after five games were postponed due to COVID-19 issues.

The able-bodied members of the team and coaching staff returned to practice on Sunday.

Here’s the team timeline outlined by game postponements due to AHL COVID-19 protocols:

  • November 28 home game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms postponed.
  • December 1 road game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms postponed. Rescheduled for December 21.
  • Decemeber 4 road game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms postponed.
  • December 5 home game against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins postponed.
  • December 8 road game against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins postponed. Rescheduled for December 14.

These decisions were “made in consultation with medical experts and the AHL and due to the health and safety of players, coaches, and game day personnel,” the Bears said in a release.

The Capitals, who have been one of the top teams in the NHL despite injury and COVID, have recalled or promoted around a dozen prospects or veterans from Hershey this season. The most recent recalls, Beck Malenstyn and Michael Sgarbossa, were brought up to the Capitals on November 24, days before the Hershey Bears began having games postponed due to the virus.

The Bears currently sit fourth in the AHL’s Atlantic Division with an 8-6-2 record. They have played the fourth fewest games in the AHL so far this season (17).

Headline photo: Ian Oland/RMNB

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