Stateline Whalers, Pro Hockey Squad, Welcomed to Putnam
Danbury’s loss became Brewster’s gain last week when a professional hockey team announced its intention to use Brewster Ice Arena for at least the next five years, giving Putnam County a professional sports team to boast and attract visitors from the region.
Owner of the new Brewster-based team Barry Soskin, general manager Herm Sorcher, Brewster Ice Arena owners Steve Santini and Jim Hahn, and county officials were all on hand to usher in Putnam’s own professional hockey squad Friday morning, officially named the Stateline Whalers of the Federal Hockey League. On Putnam’s 203rd birthday, it received its first professional sports team in its recent history.
The new team is the result of the Danbury Whalers in Connecticut, now an inactive team, unable to reach an agreement for a new lease agreement with the Danbury Ice Arena. The Brewster team will have the same colors as the old Danbury team, though a logo hasn’t been decided on yet.
Santini said he received a call roughly five weeks ago from Whalers officials inquiring about using the facility for games, most of which will be on the weekend. After some back and forth, Santini said team officials were happy with what the facility offered and the fact it has 28 different recreational teams that play and practice there.
Right now, the arena where games would be held can fill just fewer than 1,000 fans. Santini said the arena is drawing up plans to look into expanding seating, ideally reaching between1,300-1,500 seats after the end of the first year. The contract is set to last 5-6 years, Santini said.
“We have a tremendous fan base built in for them, plus what they had over in Danbury,” Santini said. “So it’s going to be a good situation for everyone.”
Soskin, the owner who is an Illinois- based businessman, emphasized the affordability of the games. He said whatever Putnam residents pay for a movie ticket, is what they would pay for a ticket to a game. The league is one that focuses on family affordability entertainment, “where you don’t have to spend $100 a ticket to be able to sit down, where you don’t have to spend $12 for a drink to enjoy a beverage of your choice.”
Soskin said much of the legwork in finding a new place after Danbury was done by Sorcher, the general manager. Soskin stressed he wanted to ensure another location was found before the start of next year’s season.
The primary focus, Soskin said, is now filling up the roughly thousand seats available and finding businesses to advertise around the arena. Soskin expressed confidence the team could “make it” financially in the new facility.
“It’s much more fun when you’re making money or breaking even than when you’re not,” Soskin said. “And when you’re doing OK off the ice, the on-ice product is that much better.”
County Executive MaryEllen Odell welcomed the Whalers during a press conference, excited about the tourism and other economic opportunities the most high profile team in the county could bring. Odell said the tourism office is already working with team officials in helping promote the move through the I Love NY program.
Odell said it’d be nice to keep sales tax dollars within the county, rather than families going elsewhere for recreational fun.
“This helps us expand now into opportunities outside of Putnam County,” Odell said. “We’d like to get some Connecticut folks over here for a change instead watching Putnam County tax dollars always leaving here.”
