THUNDER ANNOUNCE 2017 HALL OF FAME CLASS

Glens Falls, NY – The Adirondack Thunder, proud ECHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames, have announced today their 2017 Class for the Adirondack Hockey Hall of Fame. The class consists of the 1981 Adirondack Red Wings Calder Cup Team, Erin Whitten-Hamlen, Dale Krentz and Fred Quackenbush.

The Hall of Fame inductions will take place on Saturday, February 25, prior to the Thunder’s 7:00 p.m. game against the Brampton Beast. The Thunder will hold a Hall of Fame Luncheon before the game with opportunities for fans to meet and greet with the inductees. The Thunder are also offering a 2 For $19.81 ticket special for the Hall of Fame to commemorate the induction of the 1981 Red Wings team. Information on ticket availability for both the game and luncheon will be released on Wednesday, February 1.

The Class of 2017 is the sixth class to enter the Adirondack Hockey Hall of Fame. For a full list of Adirondack Hockey Hall of Fame inductees, visit http://echlthunder.com/fanzone/hof/.

The 1981 Adirondack Red Wings were the first Adirondack professional team to bring win a championship for the region. The 1981 team defeated the Binghamton Whalers, Hershey Bears and the Maine Mariners, all by 4-2 series scores, to win the 1981 Calder Cup Championship. The 1981 team had five members of the Adirondack Hockey Hall of Fame – Jody Gage, Dave Hanson, Greg Joly, Peter Mahovlich and Ted Nolan, along with a sixth, Joe Paterson, who skated with the team during the regular season. Three Adirondack Hockey Hall of Fame members were also a part of the 1981 team in a staff capacity – Ned Harkness (General Manager), Dave Casey (Athletic Trainer) and Dave Strader (Broadcaster).

Dale Krentz, a Class of 2017 Inductee, skated in 327 games over five seasons with the Adirondack Red Wings between 1985 and 1990. Krentz ranks second all-time in Red Wings history with 328 points and ranks third in both career goals (149) and assists (179) and fourth in games played. Krentz was a member of both the 1986 and 1989 Calder Cup championship teams, recording eight points (2-6–8) in 13 playoff games on the 1986 team, Adirondack’s second championship team. The Steinbach, Manitoba native is also one of just three players, along with fellow Adirondack Hockey Hall of Fame members Glenn Merkosky and Murray Eaves, to score 30 goals in three separate seasons. Krentz also appeared in 30 NHL games with Detroit and skated professionally for six seasons in Germany before he retired from professional hockey in 1996.

Erin Whitten-Hamlen is the first female to be inducted into the Adirondack Hockey Hall of Fame. A Glens Falls native, Whitten-Hamlen was the first woman to play in the ECHL, CHL and CoHL as she posted a 5-3 record with five teams across three seasons. Whitten-Hamlen skated with the U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team for seven seasons, where she won IIHF World Women’s Championship Silver Medals in 1992, 1994, 1997 and 1999. Whitten was named as the Most Outstanding Goaltender at the 1994 World Championships, held in Lake Placid, NY, and was named the 1994 USA Hockey Women’s Player of the Year. Following her playing career, Whitten-Hamlen has coached at the University of New Hampshire and Merrimack College, as well as professionally with the Boston Blades of the CWHL and internationally with Team USA.

Fred Quackenbush, a Class of 2017 Inductee, is inducted to the Adirondack Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder of the game of hockey in the Adirondack region. Quackenbush, a Hudson Falls native, has been a season ticket holder of Adirondack professional hockey teams since professional hockey came to the area in 1979, spanning over 30 years and six different franchises. Quackenbush is also the oldest individual ever to be inducted into the Hall of Fame at age 83. Quackenbush has been a member of the Adirondack Hockey Booster Club since its inception in the 1980’s and still serves on the Booster Club’s board at the time of his Hall of Fame induction. In the hockey offseason, Quackenbush spends his summers at another local sporting attraction as a Box Seat Usher at the Saratoga Race Course.

The Thunder are back in action this week with three games against the Norfolk Admirals, including Friday and Saturday home games at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Adirondack Thunder individual and group ticket packages are also available for just $13 per ticket in addition to new Thunder mini-packs, consisting of four tickets and a gift card to a local restaurant for just $65. Call 518-480-3355 x1 or visit ECHLThunder.com/tickets to customize a plan and reserve your seat locations today.

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