Sport Management Students Run Game-Day Event to Support Youth Hockey

St. John Fisher University students in Professor Paul Hemingway’s Event Planning and Sponsorship Sales (SPST 460) class hosted a celebration showcasing the inaugural season of the men’s and women’s Division III ice hockey programs.

Both teams officially opened their inaugural seasons on October 31, marking an exciting milestone for Fisher Athletics—and providing a unique, hands-on learning opportunity for sport management students.

As they continue their seasons, students in SPST 460 collaborated with Fisher Athletics to plan and promote a large-scale game-day experience during the teams’ doubleheader on Saturday, Nov. 22 at the Rochester Ice Center, Fisher’s home ice.

A major emphasis of this student-led initiative was its partnership with Hockey Buddies, a Rochester-based nonprofit that works to make hockey more accessible for local youth by providing equipment and financial assistance. Supporting Hockey Buddies became a central focus of the class, reinforcing the event’s commitment to community engagement alongside Fisher’s inaugural hockey season.

This fully student-designed and student-executed event offered a fun, engaging atmosphere for the Rochester community while celebrating the launch of Fisher ice hockey. In addition to the men’s and women’s games at 3 p.m. and 6:15 p.m., attendees enjoyed a variety of promotions and activities created by the class, including rally towel giveaways, on-ice contests, youth hockey involvement, and a equipment donation drive for Hockey Buddies.>

Head coaches Scott McDonald and Reid Lesswing expressed their enthusiasm for both the inaugural season and the student collaboration.

“This inaugural season is the start of something special,” McDonald said. “We’re creating a culture of pride, passion, and hard work that will define Fisher hockey for years to come. Seeing students take such an active role in promoting our program shows just how strong this community is already.”