Frenzy, FHL look to rebuild Rome’s hockey heritage

ROME, NY – Starting a new hockey team in a new league in a market that has not previously been exposed to a particular level of play is an ambitious task. Add in an still unstable economy and the ambitious can turn to daunting. Throw in a recent track record of defunct leagues and teams in the region and now it is downright scary.
That scenario is what is facing the ownership of the Rome Frenzy of the brand new Federal Hockey League. The single-A level league based in the hockey-rich Northeast begins play in late October with teams spread from Connecticut to Canada with a particular nod to central and upstate New York, including the Mohawk Valley where Rome sits. The big question is how exactly will Rome and the surrounding Mohawk Valley welcome the Frenzy.
So far, the answer from hockey people, politicians and fans is that it will be welcomed with open arms.
“The AHL and ECHL are priced out of the area,” Jim Mancuso, local hockey historian and author of Hockey Night in Utica , said. “There is a demand for minor league hockey and many fans want it back.”
The Mohawk Valley is no stranger to minor professional hockey. In fact, the area’s fling with minor league pucks dates back to 1954 and the Clinton Comets of the Eastern Hockey League. In 19 seasons, the Comets won five championships and wowed many fans during the 1967-68 season by posting an impressive 57-5-10 record.
The championships didn’t stop there. During their inaugural season in 1981-82, the Mohawk Valley Stars claimed the top spot in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League – a league that Mancuso said was called “the incredible shrinking league” by fans because of three franchises folding before the regular season was finished.
Minor league hockey stuck around the region in the form of various leagues and levels until 2001. The American Hockey League, one level down from the NHL, had a presence during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s with the Utica Devils. Although the team made the playoffs in four of its six seasons, it failed to claim the Calder Cup. In 1993, the NHL’s Calgary Flames purchased the franchise and promptly relocated it to New Brunswick.
The Devils were followed by the Utica Bulldogs (later renamed Blizzard) of the double-A Colonial Hockey League. By 1998, the CoHL had decided to rebrand itself, becoming the United Hockey League. The UHL iced the Mohawk Valley Prowlers, a franchise that limped along until financial difficulties forced it to fold midway through the 2000-01 campaign.
Long-time hockey man Jim Riggs was the last to make an attempt to put a successful pro team into the Valley. His Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL) targeted Rome for one of its cornerstone franchises with the J.F. Kennedy Civic Arena slated to be the home of the

Copper City Chiefs. Unfortunately the Chiefs never got off the ground as a myriad of issues led to the franchise’s demise before training camp had gotten underway. The EPHL itself suffered from under funding issues and finished its first season before fading quietly into the shadows of the minor league hockey graveyard.
Now along comes the FHL, a league founded by Don Kirnan, who for almost three decades has been involved with junior hockey across the region. Rome was immediately identified as a good market for the new circuit. Brian Hall and his father Sam were brought in as owners as well as management of the franchise. The Glens Falls, NY natives grew up on hockey and jumped at the chance to operate a team.
“Hockey is ingrained in the culture (of the area),” Brian Hall said. “They love their hockey.”
One of the first things the Halls and the FHL had to do was get local politicians involved. Rome Mayor James Brown was an easy sell because he sees Rome as a “real big hockey town” with plenty of potential fan base available in nearby Utica as well as the communities of Canastota, Boonville and Frankfort.
Brown, who has held the office of mayor since 2003 following years of management and marketing experience, characterized the Frenzy ownership as having a solid foundation and called the city’s relationship with the team as “a partnership from day one”. He is completely confident that the Frenzy’s business plan and promise to deliver a solid on-ice product will work. He also indicated that the city is ready to work with the team.
“Speaking for (the city of) Rome, NY, I can say that hands are open for the Frenzy to come in and be successful,” Brown said.
Hall echoed Brown’s sentiments, noting that local businessmen have been more than willing to jump on the Frenzy bandwagon.
“Anyone who has seen our business plan has been quick to get on board,” Hall said.
That business plan will certainly be tested right away. With the country experiencing a slow recovery from a historic recession, the timing of a venture such as a start-up pro hockey team would probably draw more than its share of questions. Mayor Brown was quick to note that Rome seems to be weathering the economic downturn than the rest of the state as unemployment numbers for the area are lower than both state and national percentages. He also said that in his estimation, new businesses in Rome need to be aggressive in marketing its services, something that he has already seen out of the Frenzy.
“They (Frenzy) are working hard and I am happy they are in the community,” he said.
For Hall’s part, he sees the biggest challenge being convincing fans and business owners that the team and the league are legitimate organizations. Given the recent history of failed teams and leagues in the Mohawk Valley, he expects plenty of doubters. He attributed past failures to owner expectations. He said that the FHL will be different because of its “strong core of people at the league” and much better resource bases throughout the league.
Another potential stumbling block is competition from other hockey teams, particularly at the college level. The Frenzy, with the help of the league, have been careful to schedule home games to avoid conflicts with Utica College games at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. Since its inception in 2000, Utica’s team has drawn very well, setting Division 2 & 3 attendance records as members of the highly competitive ECAC. Mayor Brown said that Utica games regularly bring in 2,500-3,000 fans.
As for the Frenzy, they will call the city-operated Kennedy Arena home. Built in 1963 and renovated in 2008 at a cost of $3 million, the Kennedy is expected to be the smallest venue in the FHL with just under 1,200 seats. The renovations, which included major utilities and ice surface upgrades, rink extensions, seating and four new locker rooms, have considerably upgraded the facility, making it perfect for the Frenzy and their fans.
“The Kennedy Arena is a beautiful facility since the renovations,” Hall said. “It will be loud and very intimate.”
Of course, the biggest draw for fans will be the team on the ice and the game day experience. Hall said that the fans can expect high quality players, an entertaining atmosphere and a pocketbook friendly cost.
Quality players are great but winning sells. Put a team on the ice that consistently wins and the fans will come. No one knows that better than Mark Kotary. Kotary, who owns Mark Kotary Hockey Supply in nearby New Hartford, played four years of NCAA hockey before turning pro. One of the teams that he played for professionally was the Mohawk Valley Prowlers of the UHL.
Kotary said that he sees several things that have the potential to make the Frenzy and the FHL a success, including the possibility of being a resource for higher level leagues to find players.
“The league itself has a potential to become a feeder league for players on their way up to the ECHL,” Kotary said.
As a former player, Kotary said he expects the level and style of play to fall between what the fans saw when the UHL Prowlers played and that of the ECAC Utica team. He also said that he believes that the configuration of the Kennedy Arena will give fans a sense of being in the action.
“The bleachers are steep and right off the glass,” he said.
Hall also said that the team will have a big presence in the community. Harkening back to his days watching the Adirondack Red Wings in Glens Falls, Hall is a strong believer in becoming a part of the community. He said that the players, staff and ownership will be involved with youth hockey, blood drives, cancer awareness events and more. In fact, the Frenzy will be a big part of a charity hockey game on October 23rd that will benefit the Bobby Page Memorial Foundation, named for a former hockey player who dedicated his life to helping the Valley’s less fortunate children before cancer took his life at the all too young age of 25.
“At this level, you have to put into the community more than you take out,” Hall said. “This is very important and everyone in the organization feels this way. It is a part of the job, not just an extra thing.”
The Frenzy’s inaugural season kicks off on October 29th with their first home game slated for November 3rd when the Akwasasne Warriors come to the Kennedy Arena. Whether Rome as a sports town will accept its new team and the FHL into the region’s rich hockey history remains to be seen.
For now, however, the lights are green and it is full speed ahead.
Contact the author at wendy.hull@prohockeynews.com