AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks and Knighthawks Were a Hot Ticket Last Weekend

Published on April 14, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


(Rochester, April 14)... The Rochester Americans and Knighthawks final hockey and lacrosse weekend scored the biggest box office victory of the season. The two-day total was 16,091, which eclipsed the previous high set during the weekend of February 25-26, which drew 11,251 fans to The Blue Cross Arena.

"Our final weekend of the regular season for both teams proved to be the largest crowds we enjoyed all year," said Americans & Knighthawks President Lewis Staats. "The crowds we had were attributable not only the fans coming out to support the teams, but also to a large number of groups from the Rochester business community. We appreciate the support and enthusiasm they showed and we all know that the players feed off of the fans so the weekend was a huge success from that point of view."

On Friday, April 8th, the Amerks kicked off the weekend with a season-high crowd of 6,875 fans as they hosted the Binghamton Senators. The record number was impressive considering the team was out of the Calder Cup Playoff run. Rochester exceeded the season-best 6,137 attracted on January 28th when the team was in the midst of three wins in four games.

The success of the evening was made possible through the team's partnership with the Rochester Business Alliance, who spearheaded the "

Sell Out Night at the Amerks" campaign. The promotion featured incentives for businesses to participate, which included a trip for four to see a National Hockey League game, a trip to New York City or Las Vegas based on reaching a certain ticket threshold.

"It was a benefit to our members," said RBA President and Chief Executive Officer Sandy Parker. "A number of companies stepped up to the plate and bought blocks of 100 tickets and gave them to their employees. It was also a benefit to the Amerks... and it was nice to see Blue Cross Arena filled again."

Parker, who dropped the puck before the game, admitted that she would consider a similar campaign next season. This year's effort yielded 1,000 tickets sold for the second to last home game of the year for the Amerks.

The Knighthawks game the following night also produced a season-single high with 9,216 fans as the organization "rolled back the tarps" for the first time all season. The fans were treated to a hard-fought game that was decided in the final minute between the Knighthawks and Buffalo Bandits. The Bandits won the game 9-8, but the Knighthawks players were excited by the turnout at the regular season home finale.

"It was great and a lot of fun," said Knighthawks veteran defenseman Kyle Laverty. "We have some great fans in this league no matter where you go, but it's always nice to get a crowd like that at home. The support was great and we really appreciated it."

Season tickets for both teams are currently on sale for the 2011-12 seasons by calling (585) 454-5335.

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