Major changes to the Kenai River Brown Bears proposed 10-game, Alaska Junior A hockey schedule were announced on Friday with the Brown Bears revamping the opening eight-game home schedule and moving the opening two-game series against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs to mid-May and pushing the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex opener back to April 23rd.
The change to the opening weekend schedule resulted from the increased COVID-19 counts on the Central Kenai Peninsula which have risen to the “red” level and exceeded the 14-day minimum count of 52 cases (10 cases per 100,000 population). The spectator limit of 750 spectators resorts back to 250 spectators under Soldotna Resolution 2021-009.
Under the City of Soldotna Resolution 2021-009, Section 6: “Should the number of COVID-19 cases in the Central Kenai Peninsula exceed an average daily case rate of 10 per 100,000 population over a 14-day period, the spectator capacity allowed at any ice event at SRSC shall automatically reduce to 250 people and the Council will reevaluate the SRSC COVID-19 protocols.”
Resolution 2021-009 passed on a 6-1 vote by the Soldotna City Council on February 24, 2021.
Chris Hedlund, Brown Bears General Manager on Peninsula Sports…
The Kenai River Brown Bears will play under mitigation protocols at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex which will include mask wearing by all spectators and social distancing.
Advance ticket sales will be a major component to the attendance restrictions in the SRSC. More information on ticket sales will be available on Kenai River Brown Bears website.
Brown Bears home game schedule revised:
4/23 vs Chippewa Steel 7:30 pm
4/24 vs Chippewa Steel 7:30 pm
4/25 vs Chippewa Steel 5:00 pm
4/29 vs Janesville Jets 7:00 pm
4/30 vs Janesville Jets 7:30 pm
5/1 vs Janesville Jets 7:30 pm
5/14 vs Fairbanks Ice Dogs 7:30 pm
5/15 vs Fairbanks Ice Dogs 7:30 pm
Follow this continuing story at radiokenai.com