Dayton Bombers Throw In The Towel

By Bruce Kettelle

After months of speculation the Dayton Bombers threw in the towel today announcing they would close and give up the 18-year old ECHL franchise.

Today at the ECHL Board of Governors meeting in Las Vegas, Bombers owner Cost Papista ended all thoughts of the team coming back. Papista announced in April that the financially struggling team would skip the 2009-2010 season while they looked for a new financial partner. That search proved unsuccessful.

The Bombers started play at Hara Arena in 1991. Previous owners, confronted with numerous sellouts, began looking for a larger hockey venue and in 1996 moved the team to the Nutter Center on the campus of Wright State University.

Ticket sales plummeted at the new venue and the team changed ownership several times over the years. Despite numerous marketing strategies the team was never able to pull the crowds to the newer facility that was originally designed for basketball.

Earlier this month a new team in a different league announced they would enter the market and play at Hara Arena. The Dayton Gems of the IHL will take the ice this fall giving local ice hockey fans a new choice without missing a season.

Deposits for season tickets will be returned by the teams law firm.