The Hershey Bears have released its 76-game regular season schedule for the 2021-22 season. The Bears will open the season at home against the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.

The franchise’s 84th season will allow fans to attend at full capacity for the first time in 594 days.

Opening weekend action continues the following afternoon as the Bears host the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms at 3 p.m.

Of Hershey’s 38 home games, 27 will take place in October-January. The Bears play five home games in October, seven in November, and six in December, while the club’s busiest month at GIANT Center is January, as the Bears host nine home games in the opening month of 2022.

Additional highlights of Hershey’s home schedule include a pair of holiday games versus Providence. The Bears will host the Bruins for the club’s traditional Thanksgiving Eve game on Wednesday, Nov. 24, while also welcoming Providence for an Easter Sunday game on Apr. 17. Hershey hosts the most home games on Sunday afternoons (17), while they’ll also play home games on Tuesday (1), Wednesday (9), and Saturday (11). Home games will once again start at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday nights. Sunday games will start at 3 p.m. or 5 p.m. Overall, the 2021-22 schedule features seven “three in threes” where Hershey will play three games in three nights.

Hershey will play all teams in the Eastern Conference during the 2021-22 season with games versus Lehigh Valley (14), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (12), Charlotte (8), Bridgeport (6), Hartford (6), Providence (6), Springfield (6), Cleveland (4), Syracuse (4), Belleville (2), Laval (2), Rochester (2), Toronto (2), and Utica (2).

The Bears have also announced the club’s preseason schedule, featuring a home game at GIANT Center on Sunday, Oct. 10 versus the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at 5 p.m. The club will play three preseason games in total, also visiting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday, Oct. 8, and playing versus the Phantoms in Allentown on Wednesday, Oct. 13. 

Individual ticket information will be shared later this summer.