HERSHEY, Pa. — It was a pep rally-type atmosphere at the Giant Center on Tuesday afternoon.
Excited Hershey staffers lined up to send the Hershey Bears players off to face Coachella Valley in the Calder Cup Finals.
From the bus to the tarmac, all the gear was loaded up and put underneath their charter flight that left from Harrisburg International Airport.
Everyone was screened and boarded for what felt like an NHL team trip to Palm Springs, California.
It's a unique experience for Hershey, who are normally used to long bus rides between cities during the regular season.
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, says the travel day gives a big-time feel for this final round.
"You know, it's a feeling where it's just a little bit more," he said. "This is what you work for all season and to be here now and to be going to the desert in California is really exciting against a really good team, so we can't wait to get going. It's going to take a little bit to get acclimated to the time change and the hot weather, but we can't wait to get out there and play some hockey in June."
After a direct flight, the Chocolate and White emerged from the plane no worse for the wear and ready for their first California practice session on Wednesday afternoon.
FOX43's Andrew Kalista and Ed Albert are traveling with the Hershey Bears and will have reports all week.