FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
For More Information, Contact:
Rachel Laber, Visit Rochester
rachel@visitrochester.com
585.279.8325
Joe Dolce, Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex
joe@billgraysiceplex.com
585.738.3554
Youth Hockey Events Bring Thousands of Visitors to Rochester during Month of November
Rochester, N.Y., November 5, 2021 – More than 1,500 hockey players will visit Rochester during the month of November for tournaments, competitions and events at local hockey facilities, including Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex. Over the next three weekends Rochester will play host to Premiere Ice Prospects ROC City Girls Ice Fest (November 5-7), SuperSeries AAA 2021 Rochester Border Battle (November 12-14) and SuperSeries AAA National Hockey Showcase (November 19-21).
When it comes to attracting ice hockey tournaments and events, Rochester is a top competitor. Event organizers are drawn to Rochester thanks to the community’s top-notch facilities, including the Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex, which is one of the North America’s premier ice sports facilities featuring four NHL sized ice rinks under one roof. Rochester is also a preferred community for competitive hockey events thanks to its proximity to Canada and the northeast, a large number of hotels to serve visiting teams, as well as the overall accessibility and ease of getting around the Rochester area for visiting athletes and their families.
Youth and amateur sporting events, including the large number of hockey tournaments that Rochester hosts annually, play an important role in the overall economic impact of the tourism and hospitality industry in Monroe County. Prior to the pandemic, the economic impact of the tourism industry in Monroe County exceeded $1 billion, and was responsible for more than 20,000 jobs. Sports tourism and the return of hockey events, including the three tournaments taking place in the month of November alone, are critical to the recovery and rebound of the hospitality industry in the Rochester area.
“Sports tourism and events like the Roc City Girls Fest, Rochester Border Battle and the National Hockey Showcase play a critical role in the vitality of the tourism and hospitality industry in Monroe County” said Don Jeffries, president & CEO, Visit Rochester. “We are thrilled to welcome thousands of youth athletes and their families to Rochester over the coming months, and hope that these visitors will return to Rochester for future visits after getting a taste of our community during competition weekends.”
Hockey Tournaments and Events Visiting Rochester in November
The 2021 ROC City Girls Fest will feature 70 girls’ hockey teams competing at Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex, Genesee Valley Sports Complex, Lakeshore Arena and the Rochester Ice Center, taking place November 5 – November 7. Bringing more than 900 youth athletes to Rochester, ROC City Girls Fest is one of the largest girls’ hockey tournaments in the U.S. The 2021 ROC City Girls Ice Fest will bring an estimated economic impact of $1.9 million through the utilization of 21 hotels in Monroe County, visits to local restaurants, event services and more. This event will bring more than 2,200 attendees to Rochester.
"After a one-year hiatus in hosting this storied event, we are beyond thrilled that the ROC City Girls Fest returns to Rochester this November," said Chris Woodworth, Executive Director of Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex. "This event has become the elite girls’ hockey event in North America, and since its inception in 2001, has brought hundreds of thousands of visitors to our area, in turn generating tens of millions of dollars in economic impact to our community. It's a truly momentous weekend, not only marking a turning point for sports tourism’s resurgence in Monroe County, but also being the 20th anniversary of this world-class event."
The following two weekends in November, SuperSeries AAA will bring two different signature events to Rochester, the Rochester Border Battle (November 12-14) and the National Hockey Showcase (November 19-21). Combined, the two events will draw 42 teams from across the northeast, competing at the Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex. Over the two weekends of competition, the SuperSeries AAA events will bring 2,500 estimated attendees to the Rochester area, with an estimated combined economic impact of $1.28 million.
“We choose to bring our youth hockey events to Rochester for several reasons. We love the location of the Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex, which is central to everything our athletes and their families need, including dining, hotels and extracurricular activities,” said Roxanne Hill, SuperSeries AAA. “The staff at the Iceplex and the facility itself are amazing to work with.”
In addition to the November hockey events, additional Hockey tournaments and competitions will visit Rochester through winter and spring 2021-2022. These events bring millions of dollars of visitor spending into the Greater Rochester area annually.
MEDIA INFORMATION & CONTACTS FOR NOVEMBER YOUTH HOCKEY EVENTS
Premiere Ice Prospects ROC City Girls Ice Fest
- When: November 5-7
- Where: Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex
- Media Contact: Paul Maciejewski, Paul@premiericeprospects.com
SuperSeries 2021 Rochester Border Battle
- When: November 12-14
- Where: Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex
- Media Contact: Roxanne Hill, roxanne@superseriesaaa.com
SuperSeries National Hockey Showcase
- When: November 19-21
- Where: Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex
- Media Contact: Roxanne Hill, roxanne@superseriesaaa.com
ABOUT VISIT ROCHESTER
Visit Rochester is the official tourism promotion agency for Greater Rochester and Monroe County. Visit Rochester is a membership organization with over 400 members representing, lodging, retail, restaurants, services, and community organizations. Working together with our members and partners, our mission is to sell and market Greater Rochester as a preferred destination in order to grow and maximize visitor spending and to enhance the economy. The economic impact of the tourism and hospitality industry in Monroe County is more than $1 Billion, and supports nearly 20,000 jobs. To learn more go to visitrochester.com.
ABOUT BILL GRAY’S REGIONAL ICEPLEX
Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex is a 176,000 square foot multi-use sports facility located on the campus of Monroe Community College. It features four NHL-sized ice rinks, one 2,000-seat arena. Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex serves 1.7 million visitors annually, driving over $20 million dollars of economic impact to Monroe County. Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex is located at 2700 Brighton Henrietta Town Line Road, Rochester, NY 14623.
*Economic impact figures provided by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics Company.