Sun delays start of Monsters outdoor game March 4 until 6 p.m.
Mar. 4—Weather delays are nothing new to outdoor sporting events, but too much sun? That might be a first.
The outdoor hockey game between the Monsters and Wilkes-Barre\Scranton Penguins scheduled to start at 1 p.m. March 4 at FirstEnergy Stadium was delayed until 6 p.m. because the afternoon sun with no cloud cover made the ice conditions unplayable.
The ice was covered with the white side of two tarps facing toward the sky so they would reflect the sun and keep the cold under the tarps trapped. The temperature was 41 degrees at 2 p.m. Sunset is 6:19 p.m. when the temperature is forecast to be 36 degrees.
The grounds crew is covering the ice at FirstEnergy Stadium. The start of the game has been rescheduled for 6 p.m. pic.twitter.com/fZp4hSFEct
— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) March 4, 2023
Fans were permitted the stadium and re-enter.
