By Paul Post
By Paul Post
The Adirondack Thunder continue to make a significant financial contribution to area charitable groups, in addition to the economic impact the team has on downtown Glens Falls businesses.
A recent Military Night jersey auction and sale of themed flags around the arena raised $35,000 for Glens Falls and Queensbury Veterans of Foreign Wars posts.
Last year, the Thunder accounted for almost $320,000 in charitable donations including $40,000 to CR Wood Cancer Center at Glens Falls Hospital with proceeds from the team’s Stick it to Cancer games.
Other activities such as 50-50 drawings on game nights and chuck-a-puck contests at the conclusion of each game benefit dozens of area youth sports teams and non-profit agencies.
“That’s what the Thunder are all about, giving back to our community,” team President Jeff Mead said.
In addition, players made more than 200 visits to schools, hospitals and other sites last year as part of the Thunder’s community outreach program.
In this year’s first seven home games, the Thunder have already had four sell-outs and were averaging 4,617 fans per game, or 96 percent of Harding Mazzotti Arena’s 4,800-seat capacity. The only other ECHL North Division team outdrawing Adirondack is Norfolk, which plays in a much larger arena (8,701) and has a much larger fan base.
Glens Falls is the league’s smallest market.
More than 18,500 fans saw the team play in a four-game stretch surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Thunder set an all-time attendance record last year, averaging 4,539 fans per game, building on the momentum from the previous season (2023-24), when the team won the North Division and Eastern Conference regular-season championships.
Mead, a Glens Falls native, was named ECHL Executive of the Year at the end of that season and was recently named chairman of the league’s Board of Governors.
“We’ve come a long ways,” he said. “Our fan base is amazing. It’s always nice to hear feedback from a player’s mom or dad after they come into the arena for the first time. They’re always amazed at how loud our building is, how electric the atmosphere is. Not every team in the ECHL is as fortunate as we are.”
On December 13, the Thunder held their annual Teddy Bear Toss. Hundreds of stuffed animals, thrown onto the ice by fans, are collected and given to less fortunate local children.
Upcoming promotional games are Affiliation Weekend (Jan. 9-10) when players wear New Jersey Devils-themed jerseys; Law Enforcement Night (Jan. 31); Stick it to Cancer Weekend (Feb. 27-28); Country Night (March 28) and Fan Appreciation Weekend (April 11-12) when prizes are given away at both nights’ games.