The city of Philadelphia is getting ready for its second outdoor hockey game of the week.
The Philadelphia Flyers’ farm team, the Adirondack Phantoms will host the Hershey Bears in the third annual AHL Outdoor Classic.
Viewers can watch the game live on Friday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. (ET)/4 p.m. (PT) on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific.
The game will take place at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, the same venue as the NHL Winter Classic from Monday, Jan. 2.
The Bears, farm team of the Washington Capitals, are currently leading the AHL’s Eastern Conference with 42 points, while the Phantoms sit third in their division with 32 points.
Former Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton is expected to start for the Phantoms in front of a possible 45,000 fans at the Phillies’ ballpark.
Leighton brought the Flyers within two wins of the Stanley Cup in the 2009-10 season but after the Flyers added Ilya Bryzgalov, Leighton was demoted to fourth on the Flyers’ goaltending depth chart. The veteran backstop, who has played 105 NHL games in his career, was able to move forward and his play this season has earned him his third trip to the AHL All-Star Classic.
The 31-year-old, a free agent after the season, could use the AHL Outdoor Classic as a stage to show what he can still do between the pipes.
Other notable players who will play on Friday include Eric Wellwood, Blake Kessel, Christian Hanson and Braden Holtby.
Friday’s game will be the first of two AHL outdoor clashes on Sportsnet this season.
The second will involve The Toronto Maple Leafs’ farm team the Toronto Marlies wil at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton to battle the Montreal Canadiens’ affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs.
