Lippes Mathias is excited to share that its clients, DLC Hockey LLC, David Hodges, and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, have received approval on their expansion application and subsequent admittance to the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) for the 2024-2025 season. The team, whose name has yet to be revealed, will play out of the Tahoe Blue Event Center, competing against other Lippes Mathias clients that include the Atlanta Gladiators, Savannah Ghost Pirates, and the Jacksonville Icemen.

Benjamin T. White, team leader of the firm’s sports, entertainment & hospitality practice team, led the deal team that helped to secure Lake Tahoe as the home of the 29th ECHL franchise. White focuses his practice on corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, and small and mid-market private equity transactions. He has extensive sports, entertainment and hospitality industry experience after serving as assistant general counsel for Pegula Sports & Entertainment, LLC, a sports and entertainment management company for multiple professional sports organizations and entertainment properties, including the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits, Rochester Americans, Rochester Knighthawks, KeyBank Center and BlueCross Arena at the War Memorial.

Lippes Mathias is a full-service law firm with nearly 175 attorneys serving clients regionally, nationally, and internationally. With offices in Buffalo, Clarence, Albany, Long Island, New York, Rochester and Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Greater Toronto Area; Chicago, Ill.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Cleveland, Ohio; San Antonio, Texas; Oklahoma City, Okla. and Washington, D.C., the firm represents publicly and privately-owned companies, private equity and venture capital firms, real estate developers, financial institutions, municipalities, governmental entities, and individuals.