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Thunder Let Fans Paint the Ice

December 30, 2013 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


On Sunday, the Stockton Thunder, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's New York Islanders and the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers, hosted "Kids Take Over Stockton Arena Night" presented by We Paint, Dr. Lester Low Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, and Naf's Ice Paints, as the Thunder defeated the San Francisco Bulls 5-1 in front of 4,774 fans.

The game allowed 47 members of "Thor's Puck Patrol" kids club to shadow many different arena and team jobs like broadcasters, journalists, photographers, ushers, ticket sales, and many more, so that they could experience what it takes to put on a hockey game.

"It is important to us as an organization to continue to grow our sport," team marketing manager Brandon Kisker said. "This event was put in place to give some of our youngsters an idea of what it takes to work for a sports team, while also teaching them a few lessons of what it takes to be a good writer, public address announcer, sales person, etc. Hopefully the kids learned a lot, had a ton of fun, and if they didn't already, have a great passion for the sport of hockey. "

After the game, the Thunder allowed kids and their parents down onto the Stockton Arena ice to paint on the actual surface itself. A total of 845 people participated, showcasing their artwork and painting alongside Thunder players who joined them.

"The goal was to do something new, unique and different both for Stockton and for hockey in general," team President Brian Sandy said. "We also wanted to give our young fans an opportunity to showcase their creativity and to have a chance to interact with our players in a fun environment."

The ice will now be sealed over and Stockton will play its next home game on the newly redecorated surface on January 3rd for "WE PAINT the Ice Night" as the Thunder make hockey history as the first team to play on ice covered in fan artwork. Friday's game will be at 7:30 p.m. PST, also against the San Francisco Bulls.

Check out the link below to see video of the painting process in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2kGlYlwtQI

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