Mirabito Outdoor Classic The Mirabito Outdoor Classic , also known as the 2010 AHL Outdoor Classic , was an outdoor game played in 2010 between the Syracuse Crunch and Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League ( AHL ) . It was the first outdoor game in the history of the AHL as well as the first outdoor minor league hockey game . Syracuse won the game 2 – 1 with the help of goaltender Kevin Lalande , who stopped 36 of the 37 Binghamton shots , and Alexandre Picard , who scored the first outdoor goal in AHL history . The game was played in front of a then AHL record crowd of 21 , 508 , on a rink constructed at the New York State Fairgrounds on a dirt auto racing track . Crunch owner , Howard Dolgon , pursued the ideal of having his team in an outdoor game , but unlike the National Hockey League ' s ( NHL ) Winter Classic the Crunch were responsible for funding the entire event . In order to afford the cost of hosting an outdoor game sponsorship deals with several independent organizations were made including Mirabito Energy Products , which lent its name to the title of the event . In part because of his success in putting on the event , Dolgon was awarded the James C . Hendy Memorial Award as the AHL ' s outstanding executive . Following the success of the Mirabito Outdoor Classic other AHL Outdoor Classic s were held by other AHL teams . Background . Planning . In late November 2009 Syracuse Crunch owner , Howard Dolgon began attempts to have an American Hockey League ( AHL ) outdoor game for his franchise . Cost estimates for hosting the game were close to $ 1 million . Unlike the National Hockey League ' s ( NHL ) Winter Classic , the league did not run the event , meaning the Crunch had to finance the entire project . The high cost of hosting was a reason for other franchises not pursuing outdoor games prior . Dolgon originally wanted the game to be played at Alliance Bank Stadium in Syracuse and asked the Onondaga County Legislature to help fund the game . A proposal for the county to put in $ 350 , 000 was voted down by a 16 – 2 margin . After the proposal was denied , Dolgon thought the project was dead , then he received a phone call from United States Senator Chuck Schumer encouraging him to go forward with the game . Schumer later stated his encouragement stemmed from the opportunity for the event to be " a national event focused on Upstate and Central New York " . With the game plans moving forward , Dolgon managed to recruit corporate sponsors to help alleviate the cost . The Crunch received $ 350 , 000 from several sponsors , including Mirabito Energy Products which lent its name to the events title . Time Warner Cable , Toyota , Labatt Blue , Coca - Cola , Dunkin ' Donuts , Wynit , Renaissance Syracuse Hotel , Citgo , Hershey ' s and the Syracuse Conventions and Visitors Bureau were also sponsors of the event . Mirabito decided to sponsor the event because they were opening stores in the Central New York area and wanted to establish their brand name . Mirabito Energy Products is a New York based company that sells heating oil , propane , natural gas , coal , gasoline , diesel , kerosene , and other products . New York Governor David Paterson secured a $ 75 , 000 grant from the Empire State Development Corporation and helped the Crunch gain use of the New York State Fairgrounds free of charge . Even with the additional funding the Crunch still needed to pay upwards of $ 550 , 000 . Rink . The rink was built on the fairgrounds in front of a 15 , 000 - seat permanent grandstand on a dirt auto racing track and leveled with what was described as " tons of granite " . With demands for over the 15 , 000 seats occupancy of the grandstands , the Crunch rented additional temporary bleachers . Since there was no scoreboards on or near the track Syracuse rented two large video screens to show the score , time remaining , penalty times , and other information . The installation of the temporary rink cost an estimated $ 400 , 000 and took a month and a half to complete . Associated events . As plans moved forward the decision was made not just to play the game but make it an event celebrating New York hockey history . For the game the Crunch played their intrastate rivals the Binghamton Senators . The days before the game local youth hockey teams played on the ice , and then the day after there was a pond hockey tournament played on the rink featuring 16 local teams . The fairgrounds also featured VIP tents , fan zones , bands , and ice sculpting for the celebration , as well as appearances by former players for New York ' s various professional teams . The game . The game was the first outdoor game in the 74 - year history of the AHL and the first minor league hockey outdoor game . The attendance of 21 , 508 set a new AHL record surpassing the old mark of 20 , 672 set in 1997 at the Greensboro Coliseum . The record was later broken by subsequent Outdoor Classics . Prior to the game the 174th Fighter Wing of the New York Air National Guard performed a flyover , and recording artist Jessie James sang The Star - Spangled Banner . For the ceremonial puck drop , a skydiver delivered a puck from the National Hockey League ' s first foray into outdoor games from the 1991 Las Vegas exhibition game . There was a slight delay in the start of the game as some of the glass needed to be fixed . Once the game was under way it took just 1 : 50 before the Crunch ' s Jon Mirasty and the Senators ' Jeremy Yablonski engaged in the first fight in Outdoor Classic history . Mirasty had previously stated that he was going to be involved in the first outdoor fight . The physical play continued and minutes later at the 3 : 29 mark Paul Baier and Mike Radja were given matching roughing minor penalties . Not long after the matching minors Mike Blunden made a pass to Alexandre Picard to sent him on a breakaway . Picard became the first player to score in an Outdoor Classic when he beat Senators ' goaltender Mike Brodeur putting the Crunch up 1 – 0 . The score remained the same at the end of a penalty filled first period . Eight total penalties were called on the two clubs through the first 20 minutes of the game . Early in the second period the Crunch got another power play opportunity when Senators ' captain Drew Bannister took a hooking penalty . The man advantage did not benefit Syracuse as the Senators tied the game 1 – 1 when Martin St . Pierre found an open Josh Hennessy , who put the puck past Kevin Lalande for the shorthanded goal . Binghamton seemed to be gaining the advantage in the second period outshooting the Crunch 16 – 9 . But , with just 11 . 7 seconds remaining in the period , Crunch defenseman David Liffiton scored the go ahead goal from the high slot . During the third period the score remained the same , when with just 1 : 30 left in the game Syracuse ' s Kevin Harvey took an interference penalty giving the Senators a chance to tie the game on the power play . Binghamton was unable to score in the first minute of the power play and pulled Brodeur to give them the six on four advantage . Even with the two man advantage the Senators failed to post a second goal on Lalande , who stopped 36 of the 37 shots he faced during the game helping the Crunch to the 2 – 1 victory . His performance earned him the first Star of the Game . The game was a penalty filled affair with 26 infractions called on the two teams and a total of 18 power plays awarded . Neither team was able to capitalize on the opportunities , with Binghamton going 0 – 10 and Syracuse 0 – 8 . Reception and legacy . The event was considered a success not only did it set a new attendance record it also generated considerable exposure for both the Crunch and the AHL . The game was originally going to be aired just in New York by Time Warner Cable , but was picked up by the NHL Network for broadcast across Canada and the United States . The players and coaches appeared to enjoy the game as well . Crunch head coach Ross Yates stated , " it was unbelievable . It ' s hard to describe " . Liffiton described the game as " a little taste of what it feels like to play college football " while Picard added , " I ’ ll do that every game for the rest of my life . " AHL President Dave Andrews further noted that it made him proud to be a part of the league . Due in part to his success of putting on the event , Dolgon was awarded the James C . Hendy Memorial Award as the AHL ' s outstanding executive . With the success of the Mirabito Outdoor Classic , multiple outdoor games have subsequently been held by AHL teams . Team rosters . ‡ : Holt and LaCostat dressed as the back - up goaltenders and did not enter the game . Coaches . Binghamton : Head coach : Don Nachbaur Assistant coach : Mike Busniuk Syracuse : Head coach : Ross Yates Assistant coach : Trent Cull Assistant coach : Karl Goehring