Sharks Swim into Worcester

The Worcester Sharks are off and swimming as they prepare for their inaugural season in the heart of New England. The journey began days after the Worcester IceCats were bought in November by Anne Griffith and Bruce Saurs and moved them to Peoria, Illinois. It took many volunteers for this to happen lead by Rich Lundin and Darryl Hunt. They were the ones who contact many potential buyers, different National Hockey League teams, the DCU, and the American Hockey League, letting them know that the AHL was viable in the city of Worcester and if given another shot that it would strive. The city also deserves a huge thanks for this all to happen. They studied what went wrong and what would work better for them. They went to the AHL All-Star game in Manchester, NH spending countless hours with people with what was needed to succeed in the league. The answers: lower rent, a curtaining system, 33 out of 40 guaranteed weekend dates, improvements to the new shark tank and revenue sharing. The city then set up a pledge drive for season tickets. They said that if they could get 3,000 tickets that would guarantee a team coming to Worcester. The city had 2 different tele-thons (one in November and another in March) and also had the volunteers working the rinks trying to reach out to the youth leagues in the area. When San Jose came to town in early January, playing the Boston Bruins wasn't the only thing on their agenda. First, they had to make a stop at the DCU Center in Worcester to make a major announcement. On January 9th, they announced that they would be moving their AHL franchise from Cleveland, OH to Worcester. This deal would keep the baby sharks in the city for 10 years! They since then have set up a website http://www.sharksahl.com and are now accepting calls for season ticket packages at 508-929-0500. There goal is to do something that the IceCats couldn't do during their 11 year tenure: PAINT THIS TOWN TEAL!