JANUARY

Winter Dinner — To benefit Colorado Springs Philharmonic Guild, 6 p.m. Saturday, The Broadmoor, 1 Lake Ave. Tickets: e.givesmart.com/events/Mhq.

100+ Women Who Care Colorado Springs — 5:30 p.m. Jan. 21, The Warehouse Restaurant, 25 W. Cimarron St.; 100wwccs.com.

Jeffrey Alan Band — 7 p.m. Jan. 23, Stargazers Theatre, 10 S. Parkside Drive, donation of nonperishable food items or cash to benefit Care and Share Food Bank; stargazerstheatre.com.

Tennis Pro Am — To benefit Newborn Hope, 6-9 p.m. Jan. 30, Colorado Springs Racquet Club, 2529 N. Murray Blvd. Registration: secure.qgiv.com/event/newbornhopeproam2026.

“Neighbors” — A fundraiser to benefit Westside Cares, through Thursday, Auric Gallery, 125 E. Boulder St.; auricgallery.com.

Empty Stocking Fund — Go online to make a donation, through Jan. 24: emptystockingfundco.org.

Through Jan. 31: TreeCycle Christmas Tree Recycling — To benefit Colorado Springs Youth Sports, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, Rocky Top Resources, 1755 E. Las Vegas St., $5 suggested minimum donation per tree. All decorations, stands and spikes must be removed from trees before drop-off. Tree debris, other than from Christmas trees, cannot be accepted; csyouthsports.net/treecycle.

MARCH

34th Annual Colorado Springs Wine Festival: Wines of South America — To benefit the Colorado Springs Conservatory, March 4-7, various Colorado Springs locations. Tickets: winefestivalofcoloradosprings.com.

Colorado Springs Plunge & 5K — To benefit Special Olympics Colorado, 9 a.m. March 7, Rock Ledge Ranch, 3105 Gateway Road. Registration: p2p.onecause.com/2026cosplunge.

St. Patrick’s 25th Gala Celebration — To benefit Catholic Charities of Central Colorado, 5 p.m. March 14, Cheyenne Mountain Resort, 3225 Broadmoor Valley Road. Tickets: ccharitiescc.org/event/st-patricks-day-shamrock-shindig.

APRIL

Angel Gala — To benefit Angels of America’s Fallen, 5:30 p.m. April 18, Hotel Polaris, 898 North Gate Blvd. Tickets: aoafallen.org.

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Email event details at least two weeks in advance to [email protected] with Community Calendar in the subject line.

There are multiple investigations into a brawl between young hockey players during intermission of an AHL game on Saturday.

The incident occurred during the Hershey Bears’ 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.

Hershey’s mites on ice game went off the rails again. 😂

Team White’s tiny but heavily padded goalie didn’t tend the goal and instead began cleaning house in a huge brawl.

🎥: @lhollenbach515 pic.twitter.com/dBunnD8S36

— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 11, 2026

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.

Mite hockey players are aged 8 and under.

Kids getting AFTER it on the ice in the Hershey Bears intermission game #ElectricFactory pic.twitter.com/DtPjjbK3Vl

— Allie Berube (@allieberube) January 11, 2026

Video taken by fans from inside the arena began to spread on social media Saturday night. The fight was even mentioned on “Hockey Night in Canada.”

In a statement on Sunday, the Atlantic Amateur Hockey Association (AAHA) referred to the incident as a “staged fight.”

The AAHA said Sunday in its statement that “appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against those players and team officials involved with the staged fight” after an investigation. The AAHA statement noted that neither it nor USA Hockey sanctioned the Bears’ Mites On Ice Game on Saturday.

In addition to the AAHA’s investigation, the Central Penn youth club pledged an “internal review to fully understand the circumstances surrounding the incident” in a statement posted to its Facebook page. That statement said, “The safety, well-being, and positive experience of all participants — especially our young players — are of the utmost importance.”

The Central Penn Panthers are based in Lancaster, Pa., and were founded in the early 1990s, according to the club’s website. Teams feature players ages 4 to 18 from levels AA, A, and B.

On Sunday, the AHL’s Bears referred to the statement released by the Central Penn youth club at the end of their own statement.

“What occurred during last night’s 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,” the Bears’ statement said. “Hockey must always be played within the rules, with safety as the top priority.

“The 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.

“We 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.”

At least one other recent Bears’ Mites On Ice game featured a fight.

— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 21, 2025

The Bears are an AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals, who also feature games between mite-aged players during games. One on Thursday night featured Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin’s son.

Alex Ovechkin wasn’t about to miss his son playing hockey during the intermission 🥹 pic.twitter.com/gymro6RleU

— NHL (@NHL) January 8, 2026

The Whitefish Winter Carnival has crowned its first round of royalty, the Prime Minister and the Duchess of Lark.  

Zak Anderson was named Prime Minister and Katie Akey was crowned Duchess of Lark during the Merry Maker on Saturday.  

Zak Anderson is a longtime Whitefish community member with a career rooted in volunteer leadership and civic service. With over two decades of experience in hospitality, marketing, youth sports, and event production, Anderson consistently applies his skills to strengthen local organizations and community initiatives. 

Anderson serves as board president of the Friends of the Flathead Avalanche Center, supporting public safety, education, and forecasting for backcountry users across northwest Montana. He is also a board member of Housing Whitefish, a nonprofit focused on workforce housing solutions, and previously served on the Whitefish Planning Board. In his role as executive director of the Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau, Zak serves on the city of Whitefish’s Sustainable Tourism Management Plan Committee, contributing to efforts that balance tourism, livability, and environmental stewardship.  

Across civic planning, tourism, and public safety, Anderson brings a collaborative, hands-on approach. He leverages his experience in operations, fundraising, and communications to strengthen organizations that serve the greater Flathead Valley. 

A lifelong local with deep roots in our realm, Katie Akey is a Whitefish native who embodies the town’s spirit of service and community.  

Though she left for a brief period, her return was marked by a seamless transition back into the local fabric, picking up exactly where she left off: championing the traditions and people that make Whitefish home and serving those who are lucky enough to visit.  

As a manager of the Great Northern Bar & Grill, Akey oversees one of the last remaining original local establishments. Under her and her family’s dedication to the realm “The Northern” has remained a vital community hub, raising over $65,000 for the Whitefish Winter Carnival through its legendary Disco Party.
She has never been one to be part of anything in name only. This is reflected in her extensive volunteer work as a Winter Carnival board member for over 10 years and treasure for the past four. Setting up logistics for travel, participating in parades and stepping in as a character when needed.  

Akey’s dedication lies not only in Carnival but also in the town’s heritage, growth and future. Through the FIT program benefiting children for the past 10 years, she’s helped sort prizes weeks in advance all the way through coming home covered in pink and blue dye from the Color Run fundraisers. Also, a member of the Big Mountain Commercial Association board, Akey has a passion for keeping the SNOW buses running and free to all the public by donating space at The Northern and helping serve at the fundraising events.
Whether she is behind the scenes at the Great Northern, Winter Carnival, or advocating for students and local mountain transit, Akey remains a driving force in preserving the unique character and future of the community of Whitefish. 

The Whitefish Winter Carnival continues through Feb. 8. Up next is the coronation of King Ullr LX VII and Queen of the Snows at the O’Shaughnessy Center at 7 p.m. on Jan. 17, followed by the Disco Party the same evening. For a full list of events, visit whitefishwintercarnival.com. 

    Whitefish Winter Carnival Prime Zak Anderson. (Photo courtesy of Picture Montana)
  

Apparently, this is becoming the standard at Hershey Bears games.

PublishedJanuary 11, 2026 11:14 AM EST•UpdatedJanuary 11, 2026 11:14 AM EST

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We may have just seen the hockey fight of the year — and it didn’t even happen at an NHL game.

During an AHL match between the Hershey Bears and Cleveland Monsters on Saturday, youth players hit the ice at intermission for a quick mites game. But the crowd at the Giant Center got more than they bargained for.

At one point during the game, a fight broke out between two of the kiddos. The boys threw multiple haymakers as if they were auditioning for a role in a Slap Shot remake. After the player in blue wrestled the player in red to the ground, teammates got involved — attempting to push the blue player off their fallen comrade. That is until another blue player came in and body slammed the pile.

That’s when all hell broke loose. Suddenly, it was an all-out brawl of miniature hockey players punching and tackling each other onto the ice. At one point, a blue player got lost in the moment and started swinging on his own teammate.

Even a goalie got involved!

WATCH:

Not a referee in sight.

Here’s another angle, in case you can’t get enough:

I see promising hockey careers and a lot of missing teeth in their future.

Apparently, though, these sorts of brawls have become commonplace at Hershey Bears mites games. Check out this fight from Dec. 20.

In case you cared about the actual AHL game Saturday, the Bears got the win, 3-2, breaking a tie in the third period while short-handed.

But that’s not what any of the fans were buzzing about when they left the arena.