Mirabito Outdoor Classic
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Date | February 20, 2010 | |||||||||||||||
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Venue | New York State Fairgrounds | |||||||||||||||
City | Geddes, New York | |||||||||||||||
Attendance | 21,508 | |||||||||||||||
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The Mirabito Outdoor Classic, also known as the 2010 AHL Outdoor Classic,[1] was an outdoor ice hockey game played on February 20, 2010 between the Syracuse Crunch and Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was the first outdoor game in the history of the AHL as well as the first outdoor minor league hockey game. Syracuse won the game 2–1 with the help of goaltender Kevin Lalande, who stopped 36 of the 37 Binghamton shots, and Alexandre Picard, who scored the first outdoor goal in AHL history. The game was played in front of a then AHL record crowd of 21,508, on a rink constructed at the New York State Fairgrounds on a dirt auto racing track.
Crunch owner,
Background
Planning
In late November 2009 Syracuse Crunch owner, Howard Dolgon began attempts to have an American Hockey League (AHL) outdoor game for his franchise. Cost estimates for hosting the game were close to $1 million.[2] Unlike the National Hockey League's (NHL) Winter Classic, the league did not run the event, meaning the Crunch had to finance the entire project.[3] The high cost of hosting was a reason for other franchises not pursuing outdoor games prior.[2]
Dolgon originally wanted the game to be played at
With the game plans moving forward, Dolgon managed to recruit corporate sponsors to help alleviate the cost. The Crunch received $350,000 from several sponsors, including Mirabito Energy Products which lent its name to the events title.
Rink
The rink was built on the fairgrounds in front of a 15,000-seat permanent grandstand on a dirt auto racing track and leveled with what was described as "tons of granite". With demands for over the 15,000 seats occupancy of the grandstands, the Crunch rented additional temporary bleachers.[8] Since there was no scoreboards on or near the track Syracuse rented two large video screens to show the score, time remaining, penalty times, and other information. The installation of the temporary rink cost an estimated $400,000 and took a month and a half to complete.[5][10]
Associated events
As plans moved forward the decision was made not just to play the game but make it an event celebrating New York hockey history.[6] For the game the Crunch played their intrastate rivals the Binghamton Senators.[7] The days before the game local youth hockey teams played on the ice, and then the day after there was a pond hockey tournament played on the rink featuring 16 local teams.[10][11] The fairgrounds also featured VIP tents, fan zones, bands, and ice sculpting for the celebration, as well as appearances by former players for New York's various professional teams.[12]
Game
The game was the first outdoor game in the 74-year history of the AHL and the first
There was a slight delay in the start of the game as some of the glass needed to be fixed. Once the game was under way it took just 1:50 before the Crunch's
Early in the second period the Crunch got another
Reception and legacy
The event was considered a success; not only did it set a new attendance record, but it also generated considerable exposure for both the Crunch and the AHL.
Due in part to his success in staging the event, Dolgon received the James C. Hendy Memorial Award as the AHL's outstanding executive.[19] With the success of the Mirabito Outdoor Classic, multiple outdoor games have subsequently been held by AHL teams.[21][22]
Team rosters
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^ ‡: Holt and LaCosta dressed as the back-up goaltenders and did not enter the game.
Coaches
Binghamton:
Head coach: Don Nachbaur
Assistant coach: Mike Busniuk
Syracuse:
Head coach: Ross Yates
Assistant coach: Trent Cull
Assistant coach: Karl Goehring
Officials
Source:AHL Box Score[17]
Game summary
- Scoring summary
Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | SYR | Alexandre Picard | Mike Blunden | 6:47 | 1–0 SYR |
2nd | BGN | SH )
|
Martin St. Pierre | 5:09 | 1–1 TIE |
SYR | David Liffiton | Dan Fritsche, Mike Blunden | 19:48 | 2–1 SYR | |
3rd | No scoring |
- Penalty summary
Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | BGN | Jeremy Yablonski | Fighting | 1:50 | 5:00 |
SYR | Jon Mirasty | Fighting | 1:50 | 5:00 | |
BGN | Paul Baier | Roughing | 3:29 | 2:00 | |
SYR | Mike Radja | Roughing | 3:29 | 2:00 | |
BGN | Zack Smith | Hooking | 4:33 | 2:00 | |
SYR | Maksim Mayorov
|
Elbowing
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7:07 | 2:00 | |
BGN | Brandon Svendsen | Holding the Stick | 10:20 | 2:00 | |
SYR | Nick Holden | Interference
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15:21 | 2:00 | |
2nd | SYR | Dylan Reese | Holding
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1:14 | 2:00 |
BGN | Drew Bannister | Hooking | 4:21 | 2:00 | |
SYR | Trevor Frischmon | Boarding | 6:59 | 2:00 | |
BGN | Brian Lee
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Interference | 8:07 | 2:00 | |
SYR | Maksim Mayorov | Diving | 8:07 | 2:00 | |
BGN | Brandon Svendsen | Hooking | 10:10 | 2:00 | |
BGN | Erik Condra | Hooking | 10:28 | 2:00 | |
SYR | Jared Aulin | Hooking | 11:03 | 2:00 | |
BGN | Josh Hennessy | Slashing
|
12:50 | 2:00 | |
SYR | David Liffiton | Slashing | 12:50 | 2:00 | |
SYR | Maksim Mayorov | Hooking | 13:02 | 2:00 | |
SYR | David Liffiton | Cross-checking | 17:43 | 2:00 | |
3rd | SYR | Derek MacKenzie | Slashing | 4:15 | 2:00 |
BGN | Cody Bass | Tripping | 7:29 | 2:00 | |
BGN | Zach Smith | Interference | 10:57 | 2:00 | |
SYR | Mike Radja | Hooking | 13:50 | 2:00 | |
BGN | Jim O'Brien | Tripping | 14:36 | 2:00 | |
SYR | Kevin Harvey | Interference | 18:30 | 2:00 |
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- Three star selections
Team | Player | Statistics | |
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1st | SYR | Kevin Lalande | 36 Saves (.973) |
2nd | SYR | Alexandre Picard | 1 Goal, 5 shots |
3rd | SYR | David Liffiton | Game winning Goal |
Source:AHL Box Score[17]
See also
Notes
- Labatt Blue, Coca-Cola, Dunkin' Donuts, Wynit, Renaissance Syracuse Hotel, Citgo, Hershey's and the Syracuse Conventions and Visitors Bureau were also sponsors of the event.[6][7]
- ^ Mirabito Energy Products is a New York based company that sells heating oil, propane, natural gas, coal, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and other products.[9]
References
- Your News Now. 2010-02-20. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
- ^ a b c d e Kramer, Lindsay (2010-02-20). "Shining day for AHL as outdoor game a success". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
- ^ LeBrun, Pierre (2009-11-25). "Too much of the outdoors for fans?". ESPN. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
- ^ Axe, Brent (2009-06-02). "Howard Dolgan On the "Idiots"". Retrieved 2012-01-10.
- ^ a b c d e Kramer, Lindsay (2009-11-24). "Countdown to Syracuse Crunch outdoor game begins". The Post-Standard. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
- ^ a b "Mirabito Outdoor Classic Begins Build of Outdoor Rink". WBNG-TV - CBS. 2010-01-05. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ a b c "Crunch to host AHL's first outdoor game". American Hockey League. 2010-02-23. Archived from the original on 2010-09-06. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ a b Herrmann, Mark (2010-02-17). "LIer the driving force behind AHL outdoor game". Newsday. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
- ^ "Bleacher Seating Added For Mirabito Outdoor Classic". American Hockey League. 2010-02-17. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ a b "Future of outdoor hockey in Central New York". WSYR-TV - ABC. 2010-02-20. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ Dunbar, Alex (2010-02-18). "Fairgrounds rink gets use days before AHL outdoor game". WSTM-TV - CNY Central - NBC. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ "AHL Weekly: Taking it outside". American Hockey League. 2010-02-16. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ a b "Crunch make history in Mirabito Outdoor Classic". Valley Central.com. 2009-11-24. Archived from the original on 2015-01-02. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ "AHL Single-Game Attendance Record in Sight". American Hockey League. 2009-02-09. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ "Record crowd watches AHL outdoor game". The Globe and Mail. 2012-01-06. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ a b c d Kramer, Lindsay (2012-01-11). "Syracuse Crunch outdoor game: Crunch takes W on record-breaking day". The Post-Standard. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Game Summary 831". American Hockey League. 2010-02-20. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
- ^ a b Pitarresi, John (2010-02-20). "Crunch defeat Binghamton outdoors before 21,000 fans". Observer-Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2013-02-08. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ a b "AHL names winners of excellence awards". American Hockey League. 2010-07-08. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ "Mirabito Outdoor Classic To Be Televised Live On Time Warner Cable Sports And The NHL Network". American Hockey League. 2010-02-03. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ Eaton-Robb, Pat (2011-01-29). "Hartford prepares for outdoor hockey festival". USA Today. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ "Phantoms-Bears on TV from Philly". American Hockey League. 2011-12-30. Retrieved 2012-01-12.