UTICA -- Great Mohawk Valley entertainment and great Mohawk Valley opportunity come together on Saturday, Jan. 6, when "Call Mohawk Valley Home" sponsors College Night at the Mohawk Valley Prowlers’ home game against the Quad City Mallards, Oneida County Executive Ralph J. Eannace, Jr. announced today.

The first 125 college students who can present a valid college ID will be admitted free to the game, which begins at 7:05 p.m. in the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

"The Prowlers are part of our great quality of life, and I’m happy we can show our college students that there is plenty to do in Oneida County in every season," Eannace said. "One of our missions in ‘Call Mohawk Valley Home’ is to help young people understand that they can have a great life and a great job in the Mohawk Valley. College Night will help show them we mean what we say."

At the game, students can sign up for the highly successful Oneida County College Student Corps, which connects Oneida County-based young people and area employers for summer internships that can lead to careers in the region’s revived economy.

Students can also get the facts about job opportunities in the region, and leave their resumes with "Call Mohawk Valley Home," which will then distribute them to area employers who have openings in their fields of study.

Eannace also announced that the Web site for "Call Mohawk Valley Home" has made its debut on the World Wide Web.

Callmohawkvalleyhome.com offers an overview of the great career possibilities and lifestyle attractions that make the Mohawk Valley a great place to be, Eannace said. The Web site is also linked with working-solutions.org, the Web site of the regional workforce development consortium Working Solutions. Eannace said the site provides comprehensive and up-to-the-minute job listings of the available openings in the region’s many hot career fields.

Eannace also announced that as part of the region’s efforts to retain its young people and win back those who have moved away, postcards promoting the Web site and the region are being distributed.

‘We want visitors to pick these up and check out our Web site," Eannace said. "They are also perfect for mailing to family and friends who have moved away but need to be reminded about the great things that are happening back home."

The postcards will be available in many locations including Chanatry’s Market in Utica, the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute’s Museum of Art, the F.X. Matt Brewing Co.’s brewery tour, Symeon’s Restaurant in New Hartford and The Beeches in Rome.

The partnership between the Prowlers and "Call Mohawk Valley Home" is a win-win deal for the region, said Prowlers Owner Jack Tompkins.

"This is a great opportunity not just for the Prowlers but for everyone," said "We have a great hockey team and we live in a great area. We’re proud to be working with ‘Call Mohawk Valley Home’ to tell college students something a lot of our players have learned – this is just a terrific place to live and work."