Outdoors in Cleveland

You can’t miss it, you drive right past it when the bus pulls into Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

It’s Progressive Field home of the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball and it’s right next to Quicken Loans Arena; home of the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League.

So what’s a baseball park have to do with hockey and the Manitoba Moose you ask?

Well, for a few days back in the 2011-2012 season Progressive Field became a hockey hub with NCAA rivals Ohio State and Michigan facing-off in the main event before more than 25,000 fans and two current Moose players were in on the fun.

Michigan rookie defenceman Brennan Seville took in the spectacle from outside the temporary playing surface as a healthy scratch.

While freshman winger Darik Angeli of Ohio State was in uniform and remembers the experience fondly.

“It’s pretty cool, that’s definitely the biggest crowd I’d played in front of at that point (he’d later play before more than double that in an outdoor game stage by the University of Minnesota).”

And the moment wasn’t lost on the first-year player, in fact it he couldn’t help but take it all in.

“You get caught definitely looking around that’s for sure…you try to just focus on the game but you definitely see the people, it’s crazy how many people come out to those events.”

Darik’s memories of his experience at Progressive Field will last a lifetime thanks to a jersey from the occasion, and a number of photos with team mates and family; he’s quick with a smile when reflecting on the event and sharing it with his parents and sister.

Looking ahead to his return visit to that neighborhood in Cleveland today Angeli says he’ll be sure to look over at the ballpark; suggesting he’ll think “I played there, and it wasn’t baseball.”

Angeli, Serville, and the Moose play the Monsters in Cleveland Friday and Saturday, March 18^th and 19^th and you can catch the games LIVE on either moosehockey.com or TSN 1290.

Friday night’s game is exclusively on moosehockey.com and coverage starts with the pre-game show at 5:45pm.