By DON LEHMAN
Posted: 1/9/2004 11:37:11 PM

GLENS FALLS -- The Adirondack IceHawks' financial woes
deepened Friday night when the Warren County Sheriff's
Department seized the proceeds of the concession sales
during the IceHawks game against Port Huron to satisfy
a civil court judgment against the team.

More than a dozen sheriff's officers went into the
Glens Falls Civic Center during the third period of
the IceHawks' home game, closing the concession stands
and taking all of the money as they "executed" a
$50,000 civil judgment against team owners Art and
Lori Shaver.

Plain-clothes and uniformed officers physically took
the money from the registers at each stand and in
Heritage Hall, leaving those in line wondering what
was going on.

Sheriff Larry Cleveland said the department was acting
at the request of a lawyer for a Clifton Park car
dealership owner who got a judgment in state Supreme
Court against the Shavers, the IceHawks and Blue Line
Concessions, which sells food and beverages at the
center and is owned by the Shavers.

"The law says that we can do what's called a property
execution, seize the money that is owed," said
Cleveland, who was among the officers at the center
during the 9:15 p.m. seizure. "We don't do many of
them, probably a few a year."

State law requires sheriff's officers to enforce
judgments when asked to do so, Cleveland said, and
Friday night's seizure was approved beforehand by
acting state Supreme Court Justice Philip Berke.

Cleveland said it was not known late Friday how much
money was seized. He said the department's officers
had no trouble during the seizure.

Lori Shaver would not discuss the matter Friday night,
telling a reporter "Go find a story somewhere else"
and closing the door in his face.

"What are you, trying to ruin us?" she asked the
reporter.

Suzanna Bernd, director of the Civic Center, said
Friday night the seizure had nothing to do with the
center itself. Blue Line Concessions keeps 100 percent
of the proceeds from concession sales on hockey
nights, she said.

The judgment was obtained by Clifton Park resident
Michael Cantanucci, the president of the New Country
Motor Group, which operates several auto dealerships
in the Capital District.

Court records show Cantanucci loaned the Shavers
$70,156.24 in January and February 2002, with the
understanding it be repaid in August 2002. When it
wasn't paid, Cantanucci agreed to take $50,000 to
satisfy the debt and the Shavers signed a legal
document known as a "confession of judgment" last
Sept. 16, court records show. Cleveland said the
Sheriff's Department had also seized one of the team's
bank accounts, but it contained only $22.




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