outdoor game

Announced in late September of 2015, the Stockton Heat would be headed outdoors to play host to the Bakersfield Condors in December 2015 outside at Raley Field in West Sacramento, California, the first ever minor league hockey game to be played outdoors west of the Mississippi River.

The event, called the Golden State Hockey Rush, required a ton of work, but on December 18 it all paid off… or was supposed to.

Through my first two years in Stockton, I could count on one hand the amount of times it rained in Northern California. On December 18, 2015, it rained like it’s never rained before.

Not to worry though, we played the game the following day on December 19 in front of a sold out crowd in the twilight and the dark, where the Heat would eventually capture the 3-2 win.  While I broadcasted the game on AHL Live and Spreaker, the game was televised nationally on NHL Network and I helped the broadcast team of Chris Madsen and Dan Moriarty deliver a terrific call of the game with some facts and notes about our players.  We also assisted in getting player of the game, Oliver Kylington, on air for his live interview, a terrific stage for an 18-year-old.

In preparation of the event, I spoke on behalf of the organization throughout the Sacramento media circus on television and radio. It was a fantastic experience that I believe my team of interns and I did a fantastic job with.

While this wasn’t edited or shot by me, I supplied creative direction to my intern for our own version of “Road to the Winter Classic”, we aptly named, “Road to the Golden State Hockey Rush”. It was a three-part Youtube series. You can watch Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 below!