Governor Paterson Opens Historic Outdoor American Hockey League Game in Syracuse

ALBANY, NY (02/20/2010)(readMedia)-- Governor David A. Paterson today opened the American Hockey League's (AHL) first outdoor game, the Mirabito Outdoor Classic, at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. The Governor dropped the first puck to start the game between the Syracuse Crunch and the Binghamton Senators.

"The First Lady and I are excited to join the tens of thousands of hockey fans from across New York, the Northeast and Canada who have come to Syracuse for this historic American Hockey League game," Governor Paterson said. "This event shines a spotlight on this exceptional region of Upstate New York and provides an important boost to the local economy. I wish both teams good luck as they compete for the first-ever Mirabito Outdoor Classic title."

The Mirabito Outdoor Classic is the first-ever AHL game to be played outdoors. Nearly 20,000 people are expected to attend the game, which will draw fans from across the Northeast and Canada and will have an estimated $1 million impact on the regional economy. Last year, Governor Paterson announced that he had secured $75,000 through Empire State Development to help offset costs of the game. In addition, the New York State Fair provided in-kind services of labor and facilities totaling approximately $40,000.

As part of the celebrations for this historic AHL hockey game, Governor Paterson directed the New York Air National Guard's 174th Fighter Wing to conduct a fly-by over the New York State Fairgrounds. This will be the final scheduled fly-by for the 174th Fighter Wing, which was formed on October 28, 1947, as the first post World War II Air National Guard flying unit in New York State. After 22 years of flying the F-16 fighter jets, the 174th Fighter Wing is in the process of converting to the remotely piloted aircraft MQ-9 Reaper.

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