Comets in the Community
March 21, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Utica Comets News Release
As the calendar flips from February to March, nearly into April, we close in on the conclusion of many things, including the Utica Comets season. More importantly, however, we reach what will be the homestretch for schools throughout the Mohawk Valley and school has been the theme of the Utica Comets off the ice for the past week.
It all began last Friday, while even though our players were in Abbotsford fighting for a playoff berth, Audie was out and about, with visits to both the students of the BOCES program and of Bradley Elementary School in New Hartford.
Audie laced up a pair of blades for a fun morning of skating at the famous Clinton Arena with a large group of BOCES children. Audie was on hand to help a group with many first time skaters see the fun that can be had on the ice, as well as teach them a few of the finer principles of skating.
After a fun morning on the ice, Audie traveled to Bradley Elementary School in New Hartford, where he met with an extremely eager group of kindergarten students by day and Comets fans by night. The kids took class photos and a large group photo with everyone's favorite alien and enjoyed a treat to end their Friday, after a week of hard work.
With the team back in town this week, the Comets players didn't skip a beat, with three separate appearances throughout the area. Two of our newer Comets, Ray Kaunisto and David Pacan, kicked things off on Tuesday afternoon with a trip to Hughes Elementary School for a question and answer series with the entire fifth grade class.
That evening, Alex Friesen and Joe Cannata made a re-visit to the Dunham Public Library, where fans had lined up out the door earlier in the season for the chance to meet Kellan Lain and Brandon DeFazio. While the turnout wasn't quite the 200 fanatics it was last time, Comets fans were still in great numbers to receive autographs and take pictures with two of their heroes. The fans were on hand for over and hour and really got the chance to know the two Comets.
The week was capped off on Wednesday afternoon with Patrick Kennedy and Frank Corrado on the trip up to Denti School in Rome, where they answered question from students and stressed the importance of reading. Each of the students read the book, and "Kenny The Dragon", which they discussed with the players.
Kennedy, a Cornell University graduate, talked about how important reading was in his school career. The winger stressed to the children how he wouldn't be where he is today without using reading in every day life. Corrado talked about how reading has become one of his favorite things to do, now that he has free reign over what he gets to read. The two players certainly made an impression on the kids.
The Comets have another huge slate of appearances on the agenda for week, with two visits to different schools, a library and even a trip to the Utica Zoo. All Munchkin Kids Club members will receive a discount at the Zoo next Thursday, where some of the Comets will be on hand.
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American Hockey League Stories from March 21, 2014
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