The AHL has released its schedule for the 2022-23 season.

The Hershey Bears will play 72 games, and its season kicks off on Saturday, October 15. The Bears will host the Utica Comets at Giant Center that night in their home opener. The Bears will also take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms the next day at 3 PM.

Hershey will open their season with the lightest (October) and busiest months (November) on the schedule back-to-back. In October, the team will play just seven times with four of those games coming at home and then in November, they will play 13 times with seven of those games coming at home. Hershey will play its geographic rivals, Lehigh Valley and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 14 and 12 times respectively just as they did last season. Hershey’s longest homestand of the season is seven games which will take place just after the Christmas holiday (December 28 through January 14). Their longest road trip is five games, which occur from March 29 through April 7.

The Bears will also host the Providence Bruins to close out 2022 on on New Year’s Eve. That special Saturday, Dec. 31 game will feature an early 5 PM puck drop.

The play-by-play voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, also offered his initial takeaways on the schedule.

The 2022-23 schedule for @TheHersheyBears is here! Among the highlights:
-Opening Night vs Utica on Oct. 15 (20 years to day from GIANT Center's first ever event)
-15 Saturday home games!
-7-game homestand from Dec. 28-Jan. 14
-Only 6 "3-in-3's"

— Zack Fisch (@zackfisch) July 21, 2022

-Everyone is league is playing 72 games this year. Hershey lost 2 games with Springfield and 2 with Syracuse as a result
-Nice to see a few Friday night home games back on schedule
-Two trips to Canada this year, including a morning game in Toronto

— Zack Fisch (@zackfisch) July 21, 2022

The Bears say that individual ticket information and a complete promotional schedule will be shared later this summer. The same goes for a full preseason schedule.

Here’s the full press release:

HERSHEY BEARS RELEASE SCHEDULE FOR 2022-23 SEASON

(Hershey, PA- July 21, 2022) – The Hershey Bears, in conjunction with the American Hockey League, have released the club’s 72-game regular season schedule for the 2022-23 campaign. The complete schedule for Hershey’s 85th anniversary season is attached, and viewable online HERE.

The Chocolate and White will open the new season at GIANT Center on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. versus the Utica Comets. Opening weekend action continues the following evening as the Bears host the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16.

Saturday night home games will once again be a fixture of Hershey’s schedule, as the club will host 15 games on Saturday evenings. The club will also play home games on Sunday afternoons (12), with additional home games on Tuesday (3), Wednesday (3), and Friday (3). Fans will have many opportunities to see the Bears on home ice in the opening months of the season, as the club’s busiest months at GIANT Center are November and December, which each feature seven games in front of Bear Nation. Hershey’s longest home stand comes from Dec. 28-Jan. 14, as Hershey will play seven straight games at GIANT Center.

Among the highlights of the schedule for the 2022-23 season is a game on New Year’s Eve at GIANT Center. The Bears will host the Providence Bruins to close 2022, and the Saturday, Dec. 31 game will feature a special 5 p.m. puck drop.

The Chocolate and White’s busiest month is November, featuring 13 games, while the club’s lightest month is October with just seven games. Hershey’s longest road trip is five games from Mar. 29-Apr. 7. In total, the schedule features six “three in threes”, where the Bears will play three games in three nights.

Hershey will once again play all teams in the Eastern Conference during the 2022-23 season with games versus Lehigh Valley (14), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (12), Charlotte (8), Bridgeport (6), Hartford (6), Providence (6), Cleveland (4), Springfield (4), Belleville (2), Laval (2), Rochester (2), Syracuse (2), Toronto (2), and Utica (2).

Individual ticket information, and a complete promotional schedule will be shared later this summer. A full pre-season schedule will be released soon.

Fans may join the Season Ticket Holder community with plans starting at less than $12 per game. Choose your games and seats with Full and Partial plans available now. Click HERE for more information.

Groups of 15 or more may also get on our Group Sales Priority List. Place a $100 deposit by July 31 to secure priority access to tickets, when they become available, and exclusive perks. Click HERE for more information.