While in Syracuse over Christmas to visit the in-laws (or as Heather
calls them, the out-laws), I spotted a rare college hockey article in
the local paper. Near the end it discusses the upcoming fields for
the tourney.
Taken from the Syracuse Herald American, Sunday, December 25, 1994
SIT GAINS AN EDGE, RETURNS TO SYRACUSE THIS WEEK
By Marcus Hayes, Staff Writer
A year ago, the Syracuse Invitational Hockey Tournament came up with a
clutch save.
The SIT, a showcase for college hockey, faced the prospect of folding if it
didn't turn a profit.
And so, for the first time in its 12-year history, the tournament made
money. It contributed $5,000 to Vera House, a shelter for battered women.
This year, what will the tournament do for an encore?
"We want to sustain the momentum we gained last year," said Jim Hartnett,
the tournament's director.
The games begin at 5:15 p.m. Thirsday, when Colgate University plays the
University of New Hampshire in first-round action. At 8 p.m. Thursday,
Clarkson University plays the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
The semifinal [consolation? - mike] game is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday.
The championship game is at 7:30 p.m.
It may be difficult for the SIT to do what it did last year. In December
of 1993, Syracuse was trying to provie it was a hockey-hungry town. The
local organization to bring American Hockey League to Syracuse, called Ice
the Future, worked with the SIT to create Hockey Week in Syracuse.
Two days before the SIT, the AHL's Binghamton Rangers played the Hershey
Bears in the Onondaga County War Memorial, where the SIT has been held every
year, including this year. That game sold out.
At the time, SIT organizers didn't know quite whether to thank their lucky
stars that the professionals played or not. Sure, the pro game brought
plenty of publicity, but there are only so many hockey dollars to go
around. SIT tickets cost $12 and $10 each night, and $10 and $8 for
children under 12.
This year, there will be no professional hockey help or hindrance. Syracuse
did attract pro hockey, but the Syracuse Crunch will play Binghamton in Utica
on Wednesday, then travel to Cornwall, Ontario, for a game Friday. The
Crunch returns to home ice Saturday.
"That should help us out," Hartnett said. "We want to attract every Crunch
season ticket holder to our tournament."
Last year, the tournament drew 5,700 fans. That's been about the average,
but it was remarkable.
Two teams from out of town played in the final. Northeastern University,
a school in Boston, played Western Michigan, based in Kalamazoo, for the
title. Potsdam's Clarkson University played Canton's St Lawrence in the
consolation game.
Still, more than 3,000 fans came, in a strom that dumped a foot of snow on
Syracuse.
Though the attendance numbers were average, better planning and
administration got the tournament out of the red. Accountant Greg Gebhardt,
kept close tabs on the $52,000 budget. More corporate sponsors signed on.
With Gebhardt aboard and Hartnett co-directing the tournament with the
late Pat Smith, the person who saved the tournament and embodied its essence
since 1984, the tighter ship floated.
It is sailing better than ever. Three schools are committed to next year's
tournament, which will be the same cast as last year's if Western Michigan,
the fourth team, can make it. And Boston University, Cornell University and
Colgate have committed for 1996.
This year should be as successful as last year.
Hartnett is back. Gebhardt is back.
Smith died earlier this month. His frenetic pace, passion for the
tournament and his demeanor, at once abrasive and charming, leaves a legacy
that will last.
It was Smith who rounded up the core of 60 volunteers who staged the
tournament every year. It was he who rode out the stormy first years.
"Pat was the driving force that ran this tournament," Hartnett said. "I
just hope he's up there smiling down on us, pulling some strings."
END
--- ---
Mike Machnik [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc. *HMM* 11/13/93
|
