DAYTON, OH – If a funeral is in order for the embattled Dayton Demolition, it will surely be a sad service for a community that has seen some outstanding Single A hockey in recent years.
“I want everyone to know that we are working around the clock with many people involved,” owner William Dadds said in a recent media release. “Hockey at Hara is here to stay for the rest of the year with no schedule changes.”
This was the response to the removal of the entire Dayton home game schedule from the Federal Hockey League website. As of Jan.13, the page shows only the remaining 15 away games.
“Dayton Demolition fans, please understand these rumors you are hearing are completely false,” said Dadds. “The team will remain at Hara Arena, our scheduled games will remain as scheduled. The front office is under new management and will answer any questions to the best of their ability. We want to thank Hara Arena for standing beside us through everything. We do encourage you to not believe everything you hear from rumors. We are the Dayton Demolition, We are NOT FOLDING, Hara Arena is our HOME, and all home games are scheduled to be played as before.”
On Jan 9, Dayton signed forward Chad Bennett in what would seem to be an indication of that being true. But back on December 23, the Demolition announced that it had postponed its December 26 game against Danbury due to “scheduling issues” with Hara Arena. Then On December 28, the Demolition announced that its new home would be in nearby Centerville, Ohio.
After one home game at South Metro in Centerville, the Demolition announced that they would return to Hara Arena. But then the home games disappeared from the schedule.
Fan reactions are both angry and supportive. “Your devoted fans appreciate OUR BOYS and support you!” was one comment. “We’ll put a jar out to gather donations to help with whatever you guys need!”
“The bottom line is that the captain of the team has said that they’re not being paid,” said another fan. “And sponsors are buying groceries for them. Bless their kind hearts for that, by the way. How does Dadds justify that?”
As the Demonz, Dayton operated for 3 years as one of the most attended teams in the Federal Hockey League. After winning their first franchise regular season game and their first ever home game at Hara Arena, the Demonz proceeded to dominate the FHL in their inaugural run. They held first place the entire season and ended the regular season with a record of 36-6-3-6, for a points percentage of .804. This included only one regulation loss at home all year. They won the Western Division championship before being swept in three games by Danbury in the finals.
Winners of the Commissioner’s Cup in 2014, Dayton was second in the FHL in attendance for three straight years, attracting an average of nearly 1200 fans per game. Then suddenly, owner Barry Soskin decided he no longer wanted to be involved with the Demonz. Herm Sorcher was appointed by the FHL as the managing partner. With the Demonz lease on the arena up after the season, the league was able to agree to a new deal but with no mention that the team to occupy the building would be the Demonz.
Instead, in July of 2015, Barry Soskin acquired the Demonz protected players for his new Port Huron team. William Dadds announced that he intended to relocate his Berkshire Batallion team to play in Dayton, and this is where it stands today.
“Honestly I have no idea,” an inside source told PHN when asked what was going on. “We got an official letter saying we were done at noon on Tuesday, then a call from the owner saying to hold up. Then we were told there was a dispersal draft, then that it was delayed. Our owner owes us 5 weeks pay and our front office staff is not telling us anything. I can fill you in as I know, but the most frustrating part is that the players have zero idea.”
“I broke my last stick last Saturday night,” said a Demolition player. “And have no money to pay for my own.”
The overall sentiment among the players is the same as that of the fans. They just want hockey. “C’mon, this is the Feds,” another player told PHN. “We don’t do this for the money. We do it for the love of the game.”
Photos courtesy of Dayton Demolition
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