BUFFALO, N.Y. -- As Mark Hamister faces his third deadline to complete his conditional purchase of the bankrupt Buffalo Sabres, failed bidder B. Thomas Golisano wants to get back in the running to buy the team.

Golisano, a Rochester-based billionaire and former New York gubernatorial candidate, sent a letter to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Thursday restating his interest to buy the Sabres and keep them in Buffalo.

"We basically have said we are willing to come back to the package,'' said Hormoz Mansouri, a Buffalo-area architect and member of Golisano's investment group to buy the Sabres. "Tom has sent a letter to the NHL. I'm confirming that.''

Mansouri added that a copy of the letter was also sent to U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Buffalo, where the Sabres filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week.

Golisano's potential re-entry comes at a troubling time in the sale process.

While Hamister, a Buffalo businessman, and majority partner Todd Berman, a New York City financier, won NHL approval over Golisano last November, they've since run into difficulty in securing financing. The prospective buyers are asking for about $40 million in combined public assistance from state, county and city levels.

Holding up their bid is a request for the state to refinance a $23.9 million loan initially taken out to help build HSBC Arena, the Sabres home.

While discussions between Hamister and the state continue, the NHL has issued three one-week extensions for the prospective owners to complete their offer. The latest deadline is Friday for Hamister and Berman to sign a purchase agreement, which would extend their right to buy the Sabres through April.

Even if signed, the actual purchase of the team would be conditional on the government assistance package.

Mansouri said Golisano's bid should be reconsidered because it is not contingent on government funding at a time when Gov. George Pataki says the state faces a $12 billion budget gap.

"It would be very hard for the governor or anybody else to come up with the money for the Sabres. ... And we basically reiterated our position that we have no interest in government money,'' Mansouri said. "In light of what the governor has brought up, and in light of the fact that three times (Hamister's bid) was extended by Bettman, it's a clear indication to us that the negotiations are not going great and there is no public money to be had.''

While Golisano's bid seeks no state aid, it does include a request for between $10 million and $17 million in county and city funding for capital improvements inside and around the arena.

The NHL failed to return numerous messages left by The Associated Press.

Bettman has previously stressed that Hamister and Berman submitted the best bid and that any comparisons with Golisano's offer was "a waste of everyone's time.''

Bettman has also said that he would have "grave concerns'' for the Sabres remaining in Buffalo after this season should Hamister and Berman back out.

Earlier Thursday, Hamister remained hopeful.

"God-willing, we are going to get this finished by tomorrow,'' Hamister said. "I think we're getting a lot closer.''

The Sabres have been in limbo since the league took over operating control from John Rigas last June in part to protect its interests in the franchise and to help smooth a sale.

Rigas has since been accused of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from Adelphia Communications, the cable television company he founded. Adelphia also is the Sabres' largest creditor, owed $130 million Rigas used to buy and operate the team.

Golisano's bid differs from Hamister's because he is offering Adelphia less in guaranteed money. Golisano proposes to offer Adelphia only $20 million upfront, with another $13 million coming in a promissory note, contingent on the Sabres operating at a profit.

In comparison, Hamister's offer of $33 million to Adelphia is guaranteed.