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Schumer Lobbies For 2007 USA Hockey National Championships In Amherst

Western New York is Hot Bed of Hockey Enthusiasm

Schumer: Amherst Ideal Location to Host a National Hockey Event


As the Youth Council deliberates on a location for the 2007 USA National Hockey Championships, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today wrote to the Director of Youth Ice Hockey at USA Hockey Inc. to urge the organization to choose Amherst, New York as the host of the 2007 USA Hockey National Championships. Amherst is the ideal location for host of the championship, as Western New York has long been a hotbed of hockey enthusiasm.

Amherst is the perfect place to host this event, Schumer said. They have demonstrated a strong devotion to hockey, and are home to the Amherst Pepsi Center, a state of the art facility with four ice surfaces. In the past, they have successfully hosted regional, state and national sports tournaments, and are the perfect location for the upcoming 2007 USA Hockey National Championships.

In his personal letter to the Director of Youth Ice Hockey Kevin McLaughlin, Schumer emphasized that Amherst is a town fully capable of hosting a large number of visitors that would accompany such an event. Amherst is home to State University of New York at Buffalo, which also hosted the World University Games a few years ago, and has a wealth of restaurants and hotels to serve the large number of players and families attending the USA Hockey National Championships.

Amherst Youth Hockey has a long, impressive history. Amherst Youth Hockey was started in 1964 and has continued to thrive since then. If Amherst is chosen as the site for this event, it will bring Metropolitan Buffalo and the State of New York national recognition as well as an economic impact of several million dollars. The final announcement by the Youth Council for which city will get the 2007 USA Hockey National Championship will go out Saturday, June 11th.

In the letter, Schumer writes, As one of the largest youth hockey organizations in the United States, Amherst Youth Hockey is wellqualified to host this prestigious event and I fully support their efforts to become the host organization.