HERSHEY, Pa. — The Calder Cup Finals are now tied at two games apiece as the Bears have roared back to even the series with two thrilling wins.
The roar isn't only coming from the ice, but from the stands as well. As fans mingle around Giant Center, there is one sound that everyone loves to hear.
The roars start with one Bears player, forward Mike Vecchione, who did it as a joke in the preseason as a post-goal celebration. Now, Bears Nation is roaring for more.
"It's definitely the heart and the soul. I mean, you see everybody up on the roar cam doing the same thing that Vecchione is doing," said Hershey fan Christine McClellan.
"The team has taken on that persona with the roar very well. You know, the crowd is doing it, the team is doing it and especially after a big goal, I think it's really taken that steam. I think it'll live on now for years to come," added fellow fan Ryan Walker.
Rally towels emblazoned with faceless players get the crowd and team into the zone, but everyone knows who owns the roar.
Mike Vecchione.
"I think it's great, helped the team get amped up and it's definitely a nice thing for the crowd to take a part in," said Isabella Kile, a Bears fan who made the trip from Littlestown.
The energy and roars in the stands with the crowd have filtered down to the ice, with the man who started it all.
"That definitely looks like me on the towel," he laughed. "Just to see everybody in the stands with the hands on the roars and rockin' in warm-ups. I'm skating around and seeing kids against the glass begging me to roar and their hands are pounding. It's just been a lot of fun."
There's been a lot of roar in Hershey these past two games and Veccione is quick to point that while the roar has taken over, the wrecking ball fourth line and goalie Hunter Shepard are the heart and soul of the team, among many others.
Will there be more roars for Game Five? It's a sold-out crowd with puck drop at 7 p.m.