By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
With the Flyers taking things outside on Saturday night, another announcement involving the Flyers AHL affiliate came on Saturday evening as well.
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms will face the Hershey Bears in the 2018 AHL Outdoor Classic on Jan. 20, 2018 to be held at Hersheypark Stadium.
The Phantoms and Bears have a long-standing rivalry and previously met in an outdoor game in 2012 when they played on the Winter Classic ice at Citizens Bank Park on Jan. 6. The Phantoms won that game, 4-3, in overtime.
This is the 10th AHL outdoor game and marks the second the Phantoms. The Bears will be playing in their third — their first was in 2012 in Philadelphia and their second came at Hersheypark Stadium in 2013 when they hosted the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The Phantoms and Bears are both in the midst of strong seasons. The Phantoms are third in the AHL's Atlantic Division with a 34-17-3 record. The Bears are fifth in the division with a 28-16-8 record, but their 67 points would be enough to be leading the North Division, the other division in the Eastern Conference. At the moment, Hershey is one point out of a playoff spot with the AHL's top four teams in each division by points percentage making it to the playoffs.
Ticket information for the 2018 AHL Outdoor Classic is not yet known.
