Kale Kessy in stable condition following fight on Tuesday night

Hershey Bears forward Kale Kessy is in stable condition after a scary incident Tuesday night at Giant Center.

At 11:30 of the second period, Kessy and Charlotte Checkers defenseman Derek Sheppard engaged in a fight off of a faceoff. Sheppard caught Kessy with a right hand, knocking him unconscious before Kessy fell and hit his head on the ice. 

Immediately, linesman and anesthesiologist, Dr. Bob Goodman began tending to Kessy as Hershey’s and Charlotte’s medical staff rushed to the ice. Soon after, Hershey Bears team doctors and emergency medical staff came to the ice with a stretcher. 

After a harrowing eight minutes, Kessy was placed on the stretcher with an oxygen mask on and taken off the ice. 

As he left the ice, he passed a message on to his team: “Go win the game.” 

“He’s doing better,” said Bears head coach Spencer Carbery after the game “CT Scan came back (good) – but they’re going to keep him overnight just for observation. All the reports back from the hospital are positive.”

Following the incident, both teams left the ice and went to the locker rooms as members of each team’s staff along with officials met in the Bears interview room. After discussing the idea of suspending the game, both sides decided to complete the game. 

“At one point, we decided we were going to cancel it,” said Hershey’s Vice President of Hockey Operations, Bryan Helmer. “Once everything settled down and guys kind of refocused over in their dressing room and in ours, we came up with the idea ‘Let’s play this out.'”

For Charlotte’s side, head coach Ryan Warsofsky let his players make the decision. “I wasn’t going to force any players to play in that game that couldn’t get himself up for it. We talked as a group and took a little time. We listen to the doctor that said Kale was going to be okay.”

Hershey’s locker room also had team doctors come in and explain the situation along with an update on Kale’s status, which helped calm them down before continuing the game. “We felt a lot better when we got cleared on what was going on with him, and he was doing a lot better,” said veteran forward Matt Moulson. 

Hershey ended up winning the game, with forward Joe Snively scoring his first professional hat trick in a 6-1 victory over Charlotte. “I’m sure Kale’s probably smiling when he sees the score,” Helmer remarked.

“To be honest, we lost the game,” said Warsofsky, “but hearing that Kale’s okay is the most important thing.”