Over 2,500 ice hockey players and family members have come together this holiday weekend for the Empire State Cup. This annual event, which is put on by MyHockey Tournaments, runs the 19th through the 21st, with Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex acting as the host rink.

In total, 62 youth hockey teams will compete, of which 50 teams have braved the winter storm warnings, and have traveled in from all over North America. The event attracts U.S. teams from NY, NJ, MI, VA, MD, PA, DE, and CA, as well as 11 Canadian teams from the Province of Ontario.

The 50 out of town teams equates to roughly 2,000 out-of-town guests that will reside in local hotels, dine in local restaurants, and shop in local stores over the three-day period. 

Based on the National Association of Sports Commissions Economic Impact Assumptions, this event will have an economic impact on the local community in the range of $425,000 and $625,000.

For more information on the event and to view the full game schedule, visit www.myhockeytournaments.com.

Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex announced it's new Zamboni Experience program today, which will host it's inaugural class on February 23rd, from 9:00am to 1:00pm.

The Zamboni has always been incredibly popular in the United States, and is quite possibly more popular than the game of hockey itself.  Many people have always dreamed of driving this machine, which lives inside ice rinks all around the world.  This new program offers adults 18 year of age and older an opportunity to learn about all things Zamboni, includes a combination of classroom and in-rink instruction, and covers the following;

• History of the Zamboni
• How the Zamboni works
• How to drive a Zamboni
• An opportunity to drive the Zamboni on ice

The program cost is $100.00, and a requires all participants to have a valid U.S. issued drivers license in order to participant.  Limited space is available for this program, and full information is available by clicking HERE.