BUFFALO, N.Y. (April 20, 2016) — HARBORCENTER will host the Police and Fire Hockey Tournament presented by Southern Tier Brewing Company on Friday and Saturday. The event features 12 teams composed of police officers and fire fighters. Participating organizations include Buffalo Police, Buffalo Fire, Niagara Falls Police, Niagara Falls Fire, Niagara County Sheriffs, Town of Tonawanda Police, Genesee County Sheriffs, Batavia Police, Batavia Fire, Lackawanna Police, Lackawanna Fire, NY State Department of Corrections, and Hamilton (ON) Fire.
“We have been working to grow the game of hockey on all levels, and that has been exemplified in the popularity of our HARBORCENTER Cup tournaments and dozens of other showcase events,” said Nik Fattey, HARBORCENTER vice president and director of hockey. “Now we get a chance to put on an event for our first responders, who work to keep us safe every day. These courageous men and women also play an exciting brand of hockey, and we look forward to honoring them with this fun event.”
The Police and Fire Hockey Tournament is highlighted by a pair of friendly rivalry matchups on Friday:
6:00 PM: Buffalo Police vs. Buffalo Fire
7:00 PM: Niagara Falls Police and Fire vs. Niagara County Sheriffs
Tournament participants, along with a representative of Southern Tier, will conduct media availability prior to Buffalo Police vs. Buffalo Fire game, beginning at 5:00 p.m. Friday. Additional media opportunities are available upon request.
All Police and Fire Tournament participants will be provided with a care package of merchandise from Southern Tier Brewing Company to thank these men and women for their service.
“Southern Tier Brewing Company has several employees who are fire and rescue squad volunteers,” said Southern Tier founder Phin DeMink. “We are happy to be involved in presenting the Police and Fire Hockey Tournament. Cheers to every team!”
Each team in the tournament will play two preliminary round games on Friday, and one on Saturday. The top two teams in each pool will advance to the semifinal playoff round on Saturday. The tournament championship game is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
