HERSHEY, Pa. — It was a fun day at Milton Hershey School as the Hershey Bears took their practice from the Giant Center to the outdoor rink at the school's athletic complex.
The brisk air greeted the players as they put in a hard and intense skate. The outdoor time was a chance to change it up.
"This is awesome," said defenseman Aaron Ness, "It brings it back to when I was a kid, I played outside a lot and any time you can play on an outside rink and change the pace a little bit, it is a lot of fun!"
Teammate Garrett Pilon agrees. "I am from Saskatchewan, and we skated on a lot of outdoor rinks when I was younger. It's nice, brings back memories of being a kid," the right winger said.
"It was really fun and they got great ice here too, it's not like skating on an outdoor rink," he continued.
After the work on the ice is complete, it's a chance to make a bigger impact off the ice inside Founders Hall, for Hershey Bears players to eat with the Milton Hershey Spartans hockey team.
According to players like junior Isaiah Reyes, who plays left wing for his school, lunch was a good time.
"A lot of fun, [you] know it is something new, we just talked about how long they have been playing and what is the experience as a Hershey Bear player," he told FOX43 News.
Reyes wasn't the only high schooler that had a good time at lunch. Senior right wing Joshua Acosta had been waiting a week for this day.
"I think they told us last Wednesday or Thursday that we were going to eat lunch with the Hershey Bears and everyone was happy. My heart dropped for a second, 'Wow, I am going to meet these people,'" he said.
The time together was a chance to share a few laughs and stories with both the pros and the students.
For Bears goalie Zach Fucale it's a flashback to when he started lacing up the skates.
"I was in their shoes, once talking to guys that played in the AHL and NHL. I think that is the point today, to just help to inspire the next guys and girls that are on their journey throughout their life and I think if we could just help them that inspiring for us too," he said.
Acosta couldn't agree more. "It's cool because these people are my inspiration, where I want to be, everything a player my age wants to do."
And if you are a student learning the game in Chocolatetown, who better to ask for advice than a Hershey Bear?
"I was just thinking about what questions I wanted to ask and what not, just find out what it is like for them," said Reyes.
According to Fucale, the Bears loved the chance to share tips about hockey or just hear the stories about the current student life.
"They were talking about the homecoming dance for the seniors and everything and some funny stories, it was good!"