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Knights Announce Front Office Additions

March 6, 2007 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Abbotsford Heat News Release


The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights announced today the hiring of Dana Dyksterhuis as Vice President of Marketing and Communications and Keri Hunter as Manager of Ticket Administration. In addition, the Knights also have hired Emily Poeschl as Corporate Marketing Account Executive, Stephanie Johnson as Account Executive for Tickets and Jonnie Horner as Community Relations Coordinator.

"We think we've found five exceptional people to help us build our business leading into our third season in Omaha," said Ren Smith, Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' President. "All five young women come to our organization with exceptional credentials and great enthusiasm."

Dyksterhuis comes to the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights from Qwest Center Omaha where she served as Public Relations Manager for more than two years. Prior to joining the Qwest Center Omaha, she worked as a news reporter and anchor for WOWT-TV in Omaha and as a public relations specialist for the American Cancer Society. In the community, the Omaha native serves on the University Hospital Auxiliary Board of Directors at the Nebraska Medical Center and is the 2007 co-chair of Kaleidoscope, the hospital's major fundraiser. She is a member of the Downtown Omaha, Inc. Board of Directors, the Omaha Mercy High School Public Relations Committee and is a co-founder of the Midlands Humane Society.

As Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Dyksterhuis will be responsible for creating and implementing marketing strategies for the hockey team covering print and broadcast media and community initiatives.

Hunter also worked for the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority prior to joining the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. Most recently, she was the Assistant Box Office Manager for both the Qwest Center Omaha and the Omaha Civic Auditorium, handling scheduling and training of staff and preparing audits and manifests for event promoters. The Omaha native graduated from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2002 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

As Manager of Ticket Administration, Hunter will manage the team's season ticket and group ticket administration.

Poeschl is a native of Lincoln, Nebraska, graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration majoring in Marketing in December. She recently held the title of Miss Nebraska USA 2006. She represented Nebraska at the 2006 Miss USA pageant in Baltimore, MD. During her year she became involved in such charities as Make-A-Wish, Best Buddies, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the March of Dimes, and helped raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis research.

Johnson is a recent graduate of Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa where she earned her bachelor's degree in Exercise Science-Sports Management. While in college, she played four seasons of soccer for the Beavers and served as team captain for three years. The native of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota was an All-Conference player in Minnesota State High School Hockey for three seasons and the defensive MVP for two years. She won the state title in 2000.

Horner joined the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights in February of 2007 as the team's Community Relations Coordinator. The Omaha native will graduate from the University of Nebraska Omaha in May 2007 with a degree in Journalism, Public Relations and Advertising with a minor is Speech Communications. Horner has previous experience in marketing and journalism while working with Lauritzen Gardens, Girls and Boys Town, Envoy, Inc. and Habitat for Humanity.

The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights continue their five-game home stand on Wednesday when they host the Iowa Stars. They finish the string on Friday and Saturday night when they welcome the Grand Rapids Griffins. All three games start at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets for all remaining Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' regular season games are on sale at the Omaha Civic Auditorium box office Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tickets also are available through all Ticketmaster outlets and by phone at (402) 422-1212. Kids 12 and under get in free with a paid adult on tickets purchased after 5:00 p.m. Other restrictions apply.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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