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Chaos erupted on the ice in Hershey, Pennsylvania, often dubbed “The Sweetest Place on Earth,” during a “Mites on Ice” game that turned into a full-scale skirmish on Saturday evening.
This “Mites on Ice” match, scheduled during an intermission of the AHL contest between the Hershey Bears and the Cleveland Monsters at Giant Center, spiraled into disorder as young participants from the Central Penn Panthers Youth Ice Hockey Club began to clash.
The players involved were from the mite category, typically children aged 8 and under.
Footage captured from the event depicted numerous young players engaging in a tussle, including one in a blue jersey who tackled an opponent to the ground, delivering punches to the helmet. This prompted teammates of the player in the white jersey to intervene.
Soon, more players in blue jerseys entered the melee, with the goaltender from the white team eventually charging into the scene.
At no point in the one-minute video did any officials or adults attempt to break up the fracas, and toward the end of the footage, it looked as though some of the mites had turned their attention back to the puck.
In a statement Sunday, the Central Penn Panthers Youth Ice Hockey Club said they were aware of the incident at Saturday night’s game and that they were “conducting an internal review to understand the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
The organization asked for “patience and understanding” as it looked into the situation.
The Central Penn Panthers are based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and have teams that range in age from 4 to 18.
The Atlantic Amateur Hockey Association called the incident in its statement a “staged fight,” and said “appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against those players and team officials involved” in the incident following its own investigation.
The AAHA’s statement also noted that neither USA Hockey nor its own organization sanctioned the “Mites on Ice” game at Giant Center over the weekend.
The Hershey Bears said that the brawl “did not reflect the values of the sport or the standards we expect when young athletes are on the ice.”
“We are reviewing this matter and will work closely with participating teams and partners to ensure clear safeguards, supervision, and expectations are in place for any future youth activities held during our games. Our focus remains on protecting young players and upholding the integrity of the sport,” the Bears said in their statement.
The incident has gone viral on social media, with outlets across the country picking up on the brawl, and it was even mentioned during “Hockey Night in Canada.”
