Hockey club relocates to Poughkeepsie
The Hudson Valley Venom hockey club, which began the 2024-25 season playing its home games in Newburgh, has been sold and moved to Poughkeepsie.
Since the sale in early December, the team has played only road games. It will now host games at McCann Ice Arena.
The Venom began the Federal Prospects Hockey League season in October at the Ice Time Sports Complex in the Town of Newburgh. Former state Assembly Member Pat Manning had purchased the Elmira River Sharks and moved and renamed the team.
On Dec. 9, the league announced the team had been sold to PKB LLC, a sports management firm that rebranded the team as HC Venom. The first home game in Poughkeepsie is scheduled for Sunday (Jan. 19).
Although HC Venom’s record is 7-12, including two overtime losses, Coach and General Manager MJ Maerkl says he remains optimistic. Maerkl had been an assistant under Josh Newberg, who left with the change in ownership.
The Federal Prospects Hockey League, now in its 15th year, is a Single-A minor professional league; its Empire Division includes the Venom and teams in Binghamton and Watertown, New York; Fraser and Port Huron, Michigan; Danbury, Connecticut; and Danville, Illinois. Its Continental Division includes teams based in Virginia, North Carolina, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi. The Louisiana-based Monroe Moccasins are also owned by PKB LLC.
Like all minor-league franchises, HC Venom’s lineup is in flux. “This league is a platform for players trying to move up,” Maerkl said. Recently, Eimantas Noreika was called up from the Venom to the Pensacola Ice Flyers of the Southern Professional Hockey League. A native of Lithuania, Noreika led the league in scoring, with 20 goals and 14 assists in 15 games.
The Venom roster includes players from North America, as well as Russia, Belarus, the Netherlands and Hungary. “There isn’t anybody on the team who doesn’t understand what comes out of my mouth,” Maerkl said with a laugh. “They all have at least some English.”
The team includes 13 rookies and seven players who are 23 or younger. Brett Jackson, 34, from Larchmont, is the oldest. “We have a strong, very tough defense and great goaltending,” Maerkl said. “I’m always looking for people who can bring that extra edge to my forwards.”
In 2023, Manning also established the Hudson Valley Vipers, which competed in the American Premiere Hockey League Championship, to feed players to the Venom, but that team is now dormant.
McCann Ice Arena is located at 14 Civic Center Plaza in Poughkeepsie. Tickets for the 3 p.m. game on Sunday are $11 at dub.sh/venom-bears. Young players will be admitted free in their team jerseys and can skate after the game.
