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River Rats to host pre-season game at Bethlehem Area YMCA

August 25, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


Albany N.Y. - The Albany River Rats announced today that the club will host an American Hockey League pre-season game against the Worcester IceCats on October 9, 2004 at 7:00pm. The contest between the top affiliates of the New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues will be held at the Bethlehem YMCA Rink, formerly the B.I.G. Arena in Delmar. The teams open a weekend series the night before in a 7:00pm face-off at the Hart Center on the campus of Holy Cross in Worcester. Admission will be a $5 donation per person with children under 10 free and all proceeds will go to the Bethlehem Area Capital Campaign.

"We are excited to bring AHL hockey back to Delmar," said Garen Szablewski, President and CEO of the River Rats. "Our last pre-season game there was an unqualified success and holding the first event at the new facility alongside the new YMCA management team fit nicely into our pre-season plans."

"The YMCA is very pleased to be able to maintain the relationship with the Albany River Rats," stated Regina LaGatta, Senior Vice President/DEO of the Capital District YMCA. "We hope we will be able to preview and showcase the facility to the community as we begin this comprehensive renovation process. We couldn't be happier being able to kick-off the hockey season and the YMCA's first year of running the facility with this very exciting game."

The Bethlehem Area Branch of the Capital District YMCA will maintain the Olympic-sized ice rink for use and have begun renovations to add a health & fitness facility, create community activity space, and, during the planned two-year renovation process, make available a "field house" type environment for other sports including, indoor soccer and lacrosse in the other rink area. The facility will be renovated into the area's largest, at 95,000 square feet, full service YMCA branch. A membership drive will be getting underway in mid-September. Over time, the YMCA intends to convert the other original ice rink into an eight-lane, 25-yard pool, while also adding a double gymnasium and 1/8-mile running track.

The River Rats have skated in six local AHL pre-season games since 1993; the most recent a 3-2 win over Worcester in Delmar on October 6, 2002. The Northway rivalry with the Adirondack Red Wings spawned a pre-season tilt at Weibel Skating Rink in Saratoga on September 25, 1996. The River Rats also defeated the IceCats in Clifton Park as defending Calder Cup champions on September 29, 1995. Albany skated in three pre-season games prior to their inaugural 1993-94 campaign, including games against St. John's on September 26, 1993, Springfield on September 29 & the Binghamton Senators on October 1, 1993.

The Albany River Rats, who begin their 12th season as a member of the American Hockey League in October, are owned and operated by Capital District Sports Inc., and serve as the primary affiliate of the National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils.

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