There are multiple investigations into a brawl between young hockey players during intermission of an AHL game on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The incident occurred during the Hershey Bears\u2019 Mites On Ice intermission segment. Players from the Central Penn Panthers Youth Ice Hockey Club began fighting as Bears and Cleveland Monsters personnel were in the dressing rooms at Giant Center in Hershey, Pa.<\/p>\n
Hershey\u2019s mites on ice game went off the rails again. \ud83d\ude02<\/p>\n
Team White\u2019s tiny but heavily padded goalie didn\u2019t tend the goal and instead began cleaning house in a huge brawl.<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfa5: @lhollenbach515<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/dBunnD8S36<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The mite players, including goalies, rushed toward one another and traded punches. One player appeared to hit his teammate. No officials attempted to break up the brawl, and the crowd cheered on the youth players.<\/p>\n Mite hockey players are aged 8 and under.<\/p>\n Kids getting AFTER it on the ice in the Hershey Bears intermission game #ElectricFactory<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/DtPjjbK3Vl<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Allie Berube (@allieberube) January 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Video taken by fans from inside the arena began to spread on social media Saturday night. The fight was even mentioned on \u201cHockey Night in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement on Sunday, the Atlantic Amateur Hockey Association (AAHA) referred to the incident as a \u201cstaged fight.\u201d<\/p>\n The AAHA said Sunday in its statement that \u201cappropriate disciplinary action will be taken against those players and team officials involved with the staged fight\u201d after an investigation. The AAHA statement noted that neither it nor USA Hockey sanctioned the Bears\u2019 Mites On Ice Game on Saturday.<\/p>\n In addition to the AAHA\u2019s investigation, the Central Penn youth club pledged an \u201cinternal review to fully understand the circumstances surrounding the incident\u201d in a statement posted to its Facebook page. That statement said, \u201cThe safety, well-being, and positive experience of all participants \u2014 especially our young players \u2014 are of the utmost importance.\u201d<\/p>\n The Central Penn Panthers are based in Lancaster, Pa., and were founded in the early 1990s, according to the club\u2019s website<\/a>. Teams feature players ages 4 to 18 from levels AA, A, and B.<\/p>\n On Sunday, the AHL\u2019s Bears referred to the statement released by the Central Penn youth club at the end of their own statement.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat occurred during last night\u2019s youth scrimmage involving one team (split into two sides) held during an intermission of a Hershey Bears game did not reflect the values of the sport or the standards we expect when young athletes are on the ice,\u201d the Bears\u2019 statement said. \u201cHockey must always be played within the rules, with safety as the top priority.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Hershey Bears are proud to provide opportunities for young players to experience the game in a professional environment. At the same time, we cannot support or allow conduct that puts participants at risk.<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n At least one other recent Bears\u2019 Mites On Ice game featured a fight.<\/p>\n \u2014 Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The Bears are an AHL affiliate of the NHL\u2019s Washington Capitals, who also feature games between mite-aged players during games. One on Thursday night featured Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin\u2019s son.<\/p>\n Alex Ovechkin wasn\u2019t about to miss his son playing hockey during the intermission \ud83e\udd79 pic.twitter.com\/gymro6RleU<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NHL (@NHL) January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n