LAS VEGAS – Paul Kahler scored two goals in leading the West to a 5-2 victory in the third annual EDPA Hockey Extravaganza, topping the two-time defending champion East at City National Arena in Las Vegas.
The April 16 game, organized by the Las Vegas and Southern California chapters of the Experiential Designers and Producers Association, drew well over 100 spectators who were holding head cutouts of their favorite players, yelling “Shoot it, Paco” whenever he controlled the puck, and enthusiastically participating in East vs. West taunting chants.
It’s billed as East vs. West, though team rosters are drawn randomly from categorized skill levels.
“There’s no favoritism,” says Bill Hinchliff, president of IPME and the brain trust of the Hockey Extravaganza. “They’re pulled from a hat. So, we work together, like we do in the (tradeshow) industry, at the end of the day. We just want to have fun and mix it up.”
And they did just that on the ice that serves as a practice rink for the NHL Vegas Golden Knights. After Kahler scored the first goal at 14:40 in the first period, both goaltenders played stellar defense in a scoreless second period. The East’s Frank Panico, in particular, blocked numerous shots on goal as the West appeared to dominate time of possession.
“I’m really the backbone of the team,” jokes Panico, president at Exhibitor Source. “Without me, the team doesn’t have any identity.”
That identity? “We’re pretty good at beer.”
Ryan Land tied the game for the East with a long shot early in the third period. The West regained the lead with a goal by Sean Clark at 12:46 in the period, but Cameron Marino scored at 9:46 to knot it again at 2-2. That lasted less than a minute as Kahler scored his second goal, and Tyson Poort added an insurance goal for the West at 4:57. Bradley “Slapshot” Burgess completed the West’s scoring with a goal in the final minute of the game.
“I think it’s cool,” says IPME’s Kahler, who learned to play hockey at age 5 in Southern California and starred in last year’s game. “Hockey’s such a neat sport. People come out and they just want to play.”
The EDPA event helped revive the Las Vegas and SoCal chapters, which “virtually evaporated” when membership fell off during the pandemic, says Josh Wolfe, senior account executive for Catalyst Exhibits, who was in town for the Experiential Marketing Summit at MGM Grand. He had wondered if EDPA members would buy into the event.
“I didn’t really know what kind of fan base we have for hockey in EDPA,” says Wolfe, who also attended the inaugural game. “It’s really a passion of Bill’s. He paid out of his own pocket for friends to come in and make the teams.”
Hinchliff wants to see the Hockey Extravaganza grow and expand as a fundraising event to support industry leaders who’ve suffered hardship. “We’re playing for them right now.”
Gayle Wright, regional sales manager for IPME in Las Vegas, has noticed a definite increase in attendance and involvement from other exhibit houses. She’s learned how to improve the event each year, with changes coming next year in registration and sponsorship, and early commitment from players to have their names on the jerseys.
“The biggest thing this does, synched up with EMS, is it allows different chapters to get together, and you have the camaraderie of cheering on your coworkers and family,” she says.
“It’s exciting and it’s unique,” adds Las Vegas EDPA board member Sebastien Thevenin. “We’re the only two chapters with hockey, which is very specific to Vegas.”
West team: Paul Kahler, IPME; Tyson Poort, Word Up; Josh Frisbie, Hamilton; Sean Clarke, CVS Studios; Jarret Blum, Salco Electric; Ben Buranek, Tru Service Group; Brad Burgess, IPME; Nic Poort, Word Up; Cindy Hinchliff, IPME; Josh Halpern, Hamilton; Johnny Fecchino, SJP; Matt Farrell, Hamilton, Ryan Dolan, Impact; Dave Brown, BeMatrix.
East team: Frank Panico, Exhibitor; Justin Dorr, Star; Cameron Marino, IPME; Bill Hinchliff, IPME; Norm Friedrich, Octanorm; Ray Cielo, 4Productions; Ryan Land, Word Up; Paco Collazo, Happy Projects; Bill Muller, Nth Degree; Craig Rapoza, IPME; Patrick Hudgin, Elevation 3D; Melissa Skipworth, Right Brain Entertainment; Jorge Navarro, Design Factory.
