May 23, 2003

Kearney, Neb. - Kearney Hockey Inc., the College Hockey America conference and the Tri-City Arena announced Tuesday that the CHA conference tournament will be returning to Kearney in 2004.

At a press conference held Tuesday in Kearney, officials announced that the CHA tournament is scheduled for March 12-14, 2004. The Kearney Holiday Inn and Captain's Table Restaurant will again serve as the presenting sponsor for the tournament, which will be making its second straight appearance in Kearney.

The six members of the CHA including the Air Force Academy (Colo.), the University of Alabama-Huntsville, Bemidji State University (Minn.), the University of Findlay (Ohio), Niagara University (N.Y.) and Wayne State University (Mich.) will be playing for a conference title and a berth in the 2004 NCAA Division I national tournament.

"I wanted to see the tournament return to the area because it is good for our own product and for the economic impact it delivers," said Greg Shea, the Vice President of Operations for Kearney Hockey Inc. "We are excited to have the Holiday Inn Kearney as our presenting sponsor for a second straight year. It is imperative to have a corporate sponsor to stage an event of this magnitude."

The 2003 tournament, which ran March 14-16, saw a tournament record of 7,346 in attendance. While in Kearney for the three-day event, CHA teams were treated to a welcoming banquet, tours of Kearney and the surrounding areas and unprecedented hospitality according to Air Force Academy's Vice Director of Athletics, Brad DeAustin.

"The single most consistent comment around the league was that the hospitality was great. The players had a good time playing in an arena with a lot of excitement in it," DeAustin said. "We all enjoyed ourselves and saw potential for this to grow in to an event that can economically support itself."

Also mentioned during Tuesday's press conference was that officials of the CHA, Kearney Hockey Inc. and the Tri-City Arena are negotiating an option that would also bring the tournament back in 2005.

On the ice during the 2003 tournament, the Wayne State University Warriors won its third consecutive conference tournament title and were awarded the conference's first automatic bid to the 16-team NCAA tournament. The Warriors fell in the first round of the national tournament to Colorado College, 4-2.

The CHA tournament is one of the six Division I conference tournaments involving 60 teams nationwide including the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, Western Collegiate Hockey Association, Eastern College Athletic Conference, Hockey East Association and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.