Dayton Gems return to Hara as your home town community team!
The excitement is building at Hara Arena as the Dayton Gems team move their offices in this week. The Dayton Gems new owners, Richard Bruner and Ryan Yerrick, secured the old Gems name via a lease agreement with Jeffrey Walker, negotiated by Warren Back, the teams new Director of Business Affairs. Most Gems fans will remember Back as the 1964-65 original Gems IHL player/coach.
Additional administrative staff of the Gems include Guy Trottier, Director of Hockey Operations; Matt Goshert, Director of Sales and Marketing; and Bob Brogan, Corporate Sales Coordinator. Bruner and Yerrick's vision for the team is a community based team, where the players will serve as leaders, both on and off the ice. “I see an opportunity to re-kindle some of the old time hockey rivalries, like with the Fort Wayne Komets” said Bruner, “Our goal is to bring a revival to Hara, old traditions, new club, community leadership, amazing players, and fun!”
“I am proud to be standing on the same ground as Warren and Guy, taking our place in Dayton hockey history, and leading a resurgence of professional hockey in Dayton, Ohio” said Ryan Yerrick, Vice-President of the new franchise club, adding “We're here to stay!”
“One of the things that I feel hockey has been missing in Dayton is a community fan following” said Matt Goshert, Director of Sales and Marketing for the new Dayton Gems franchise, adding, “Dayton needs a team that is supported by fans, run by fans, owned by fans, and that is why I am so glad that Rich and Ryan have put the franchise here, with the group they've assembled.”
The Dayton Gems Ice Hockey Group is planning an official press conference for next Tuesday, June 9
at 10 am.
