Thunder, Westar Energy Introduce Hockey 4 A.L.L.

Wichita, KS (Nov. 30th) - The Wichita Thunder, proud member of the ECHL and powered by Toyota, is excited to announce a brand new partnership with Westar Energy to help bring more awareness of the game of hockey to minorities and women in the Wichita area. The Thunder will be hosting youth clinics on Wednesday, March 9th at the Wichita Ice Center from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Hockey 4 A.L.L. is a minority and women's inclusion program that strives to expand the awareness of hockey to a diverse demographic of fans. The mission of this program is to partner with local organizations in the Greater Wichita Area and host these instructional clinics to youth groups and women's organizations. Courtney Hough, account specialist

for the Thunder, wanted to create a community-based program that targets disenfranchised youth in the area and provide an outlet for them to engage back with the help of players from the Thunder.

"Growing up in Detroit, I was a Red Wings fan, but didn't attend many games because I wasn't exposed to the game of hockey. There aren't many skating facilities in the city. Hockey isn't offered in schools, the equipment is expensive, and most importantly, there are not many people of color playing professional hockey. I came to Wichita wanting to increase the exposure of the sport to local African American, Hispanic, and women's communities."

Each participant will receive ice skating and hockey lessons, a free ticket to either March 16th or March 19th games, a giveaway, and food. Registration information will be released at a later date. For more information about Hockey 4 A.L.L.! please contact Courtney Hough at 313.264.4625 or chough@wichitathunder.com

"Westar Energy is excited to help bring new experiences to youths in Wichita," said Ebony Clemons, community relations manager. "This is a great opportunity for Westar Energy to support hockey in Wichita and to help expose our youths to new sports and activities."

Wichita begins a seven-game road swing starting on Saturday, December 5th in Independence against the Mavericks at 7:05 p.m.

Individual tickets for all games are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at the INTRUST Arena Box office, by calling 855-755-SEAT or go online at www.selectaseat.com.

Follow along with us on our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter (@wichita_thunder), Snapchat (wichthunder), Instagram (Wichita_Thunder) and LinkedIn, presented by Wichita Brewing Company.

About the ECHL

The ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 28 teams in 20 states and one Canadian province for its 27th season in 2014-15. There have been 541 players who have started their career in the ECHL have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including 29 who made their NHL debuts in the 2013-14 season. The ECHL had affiliations with 26 of the 30 NHL teams in 2013-14, marking the 17th consecutive season that the league had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.

-Thunder-