USHL will be hosting the USHL Fall Classic at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township September 27 through October 1. This will be the first time since the 2012-2013 season that all 17 USHL teams will compete on the same ice.
USHL players from across the country and Canada will travel to Butler County to compete, as scouts from the NHL and NCAA evaluate the players for recruitment. UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex will also host two invitational youth tournaments in conjunction with the USHL Fall Classic.
There will be 16 16U teams and 16 14U teams competing. Aligning these two tournaments gives the younger players an opportunity to see the speed and skill set required to play at the Tier 1 level.
“We have a state of the art hockey facility here in Butler County, so now we have a great opportunity to host some amazing athletes, officials and scouts. The USHL Fall Classic had a powerful impact on our economy in 2016 so we’re thrilled to have this opportunity to host again,” said Jack Cohen, President of the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau.
The UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex , which opened in the fall of 2015, is the official practice facility of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins and also home to the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite youth hockey program. The complex is 185,000 square feet and includes two sheets of ice with a combined 1,333 seats between the two rinks. Over 1,000 youth players participate in games, tournaments, camps and programs at the facility each year.
“Pittsburgh is a thriving hockey market on many levels and the Penguins and community leaders aggressively pursued the return of the nation’s only Tier 1 junior league,” said Bob Fallen , USHL President and Commissioner. “The Penguins have won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with more NCAA players on their roster than any other NHL team. The USHL produces more NCAA Division 1 talent than any league in the world, and this will be a great opportunity for fans and scouts to see future NCAA and NHL talent, all under one roof.”
For more information go to www.VisitButlerCounty.com/ushl.
ABOUT BUTLER COUNTY: Butler County is located along Interstate 79 in the rolling hills just north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Butler County is filled with gorgeous scenery, recreational activities and more than 200 years of history. It’s the perfect place for a weekend getaway with upscale hotels, charming bed and breakfasts and rustic camp sites. Moraine State Park is the centerpiece of the county’s outdoor life with more than 15,000 acres offering fishing, boating, biking, hiking and hunting. For more information, explore www.VisitButlerCounty.com.
ABOUT UNITED STATES NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE: Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 16th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league in 2017-18. 30 or more players from the USHL have been selected in five consecutive NHL Drafts, and more than 400 players on team rosters last season committed to NCAA Division I schools, further establishing the USHL as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent.
The mission of Pennsylvania Sports is to attract and host international, national, regional and local sporting events, and showcase Pennsylvania as a viable sports event destination for professional, collegiate, interscholastic, amateur, and youth sporting ventures, which will foster economic development, and enrich the quality of life in the Commonwealth, making it a better place to visit, live, work, and play.
There are no comments
Please login to post comments