In Light of Hockey Mania Taking Over WNY, Schumer Lobbies for 2008 USA Hockey National Championships to be Held in Amherst

IN LIGHT OF HOCKEY MANIA TAKING OVER WNY, SCHUMER LOBBIES FOR 2008 USA HOCKEY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS TO BE HELD IN AMHERST

The Sabres Recent Drive For The Stanley Cup Has Renewed The Region's Enthusiasm For All Things Hockey

As the Youth Council deliberates on a location for the 2008 USA National Hockey Championships, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer wrote to USA Hockey Inc. to urge the organization to choose Amherst, New York as the host of the 2008 USA Hockey National Championships. Schumer helped Amherst in their successful bid to host the 2007 Championships.

"Watching the Sabres make it to the Eastern Conference Finals was a thrill," Schumer said. "It has reenergized Western New York's enthusiasm for hockey, and more and more children are joining youth hockey leagues. From their state of the art facility and necessary accommodations to their passion for the sport, Amherst is the ideal location to hold this event a second time."

Amherst Youth Hockey has a long, impressive history. Amherst Youth Hockey was started in 1964 and has continued to thrive since then. If Amherst is chosen as the site for this event, it will bring Metropolitan Buffalo and the State of New York national recognition as well as an economic impact of several million dollars. Amherst has demonstrated a strong devotion to the ice hockey, as the home of the Amherst Pepsi Center, a state-of-the-art facility with four ice surfaces and a brand-new fitness center, is also used for practice sessions by the Sabres. Due to its close proximity to the State University of New York at Buffalo campus, the facility is surrounded by the large numbers of restaurants and hotels that would be necessary to host the players and families of the USA Hockey National Championships. The final announcement by the Youth Council for which city will get the 2008 USA Hockey National Championship will go out Saturday, June 10th.

Located right across the border from Canada, Western New York is imbued with a passion for ice hockey - from its diehard support for the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, to the thriving college and high school programs, to the thousands of young people and their parents who dedicate so much to this sport. Western New York has long been a hotbed of hockey enthusiasm, producing scores of first rate players including Amherst native and first round draft pick, Brooks Orpik, who now plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In his personal letter to the National Tournament Director of Youth Ice Hockey David Klasnick, Schumer wrote, "As one of the largest youth hockey organizations in the United States, Amherst Youth Hockey is well-qualified to host this prestigious event and I fully support their efforts to become the host organization plays."

http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/press_releases/2006/PR192.Hockey%20Championships.060806.html