BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Nov. 5, 2012) – Capacity crowds came out to Webster Bank Arena this past weekend, as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers distributed over 15,000 tickets to a community still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Sandy.

The Sound Tigers announced last Thursday all tickets to this past weekend’s games against Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton were free of charge. The response was immense, as Webster Bank Arena was filled with the two largest hockey crowds in the building’s history.

“This was a great weekend for Webster Bank Arena and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. More importantly, this was a great weekend for our community,” said Bridgeport Sound Tigers President Howard Saffan. “The atmosphere this weekend at Webster Bank Arena was tremendous. We hope we provided a respite to friends and family in our community, and look forward to seeing you all in the near future.”

Sound Tigers players traveled to the Westfield Connecticut Post Mall in Milford and the Westfield Trumbull Mall on Friday afternoon, and distributed thousands of tickets to long lines of waiting fans with the help of DJ’s and staff from radio partners STAR 99.9 and 99.1 PLR. Fans flocked to the Webster Bank Arena Click It Or Ticket Box Office on Saturday morning, and the remaining tickets for both Saturday and Sunday’s games were quickly handed out.

As the Sound Tigers took the ice on Saturday night, head coach Scott addressed the record crowd that came to Webster Bank Arena for a night of fun and a distraction from the past week’s events. Pellerin received a standing ovation from the Webster Bank Arena faithful and extended heartfelt sentiments from the organization and front office -  “Welcome to our home…this community has been an inspiration to our team.”

The fans returned on Sunday afternoon and Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch spoke prior to puck drop, inspiring the crowd with words of encouragement and thanking all of the local area firefighters, police officers and public servicemen and women that have worked tirelessly this past week to return the area to a sense of normalcy.

With the assistance of Hearst Media Partners, the response through social media echoed the sentiments all who came to Webster Bank Arena this weekend. The outpouring of support from Sound Tigers fans and the community was embodied by Amber Edmonds, who posted on the Sound Tigers Facebook page, “Great game! Thank you so much, my children and I had a blast. It was just the break we needed.”

Following both games, Sound Tigers players personally thanked exiting fans who attended the weekend’s games. Over the weekend, the Sound Tigers raised over $3,000 which will be donated to the local American Red Cross Relief Efforts and the Bridgeport Rescue Mission, as well as thousands of non-perishable food items that will be delivered to Merton House in Bridgeport, Sterling House in Stratford and the Connecticut Food Bank.

The Sound Tigers return to action this Wednesday morning against the Norfolk Admirals at 11:00 a.m for Cool Fun 101, the first of two games this season that will be geared towards local area school children. For more information on Sound Tigers partial or full ticket plans, call the Sound Tigers at (203) 334-GOAL or e-mail info@soundtigers.com.