PALM DESERT, Calif. — One win down, three more to go for the Hershey Bears in their quest to become back-to-back Calder Cup Champions.
Their championship journey now takes them to Palm Desert where they will play Games 3, 4 and 5 at Acrisure Arena, home of the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
"It's a tough place to play and they play very well at home," said Hershey Bears Head Coach Todd Nelson. "I don't think they've lost a game at home in the playoffs, so we know what we're getting ourselves into."
The team left immediately after the game and went from the ice to the air in less than three hours.
The flight out of Harrisburg International Airport was a unique one. The New England Patriots plane became 'Bear' Force One for the night. A little more than four hours later they touched down in California just before 4 a.m. ET.
After the hustle and bustle of the journey out west, the focus now shifts to recovering and preparing for a big upcoming Game 3 on away ice.
"I bet in Coachella [the heat] is higher degrees over there but it's bad ice so we got to put the puck deep even more," said Hershey Bears forward Jimmy Huntington.
"We'll have to take a look at the video and make sure we get our guys' heads on straight get some rest and that's the message right now is get rested," said Nelson. "We have to be better in game three."
The Bears had their first on-ice practice session at Acrisure Arena at 1 p.m. on Monday. Game 3 is on Tuesday, June 18 at 10 p.m. ET.
2024 Calder Cup Finals TV Schedule | Hershey vs. Coachella Valley
- Game 1 | Coachella Valley wins 4-3
- Game 2 | Hershey wins 5-2
- Game 3 | Tuesday, June 18 | 10pm | Palm Desert, CA | FOX43 / MNMT
- Game 4 | Thursday, June 20 | 10pm | Palm Desert, CA | FOX43 / FOX43.2 / MNMT
- Game 5 | Saturday, June 22 | 9pm | Palm Desert, CA | FOX43.2 / MNMT
- Game 6* | Monday, June 24 | 7pm | Hershey, PA | FOX43.2 / MNMT
- Game 7* | Wednesday, June 26 | 7pm | Hershey, PA | FOX43.2 / NHL Network / MNMT