Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Ice glitch delays hockey game, angers fans

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Monday, November 29, 1999

Ice glitch delays hockey game, angers fans
Officials to discuss changeover from basketball court to ice rink
By Deborah Martinez
Caller-Times

David Adame/Caller-Times

IceRays ticketholders stand in line for a refund on Sunday after the game was postponed for more than three hours because of problems with the ice.

Angry IceRays fans faced off with ticket box office employees Sunday night after problems with the ice caused a three-hour delay in the game.
   A pad placed on top of the ice to buffer the surface for the basketball court used by the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Islanders stuck to the ice, forcing IceRays and coliseum staff to scramble to remove the debris and smooth the surface, said Memorial Coliseum manager John Simon.
   The announcements of the delays left hockey fans booing, and hundreds walked out before the puck finally dropped at 6:10 p.m.
   "It's just a mess," said season ticket holder Cheryl Ann Brainerd. "I mean, what else can go wrong with the whole season?"
   Rebecca Laso said the wait wasn't a problem at all. It gave her more time to enjoy the food and drink, and it built the anticipation for her first live hockey game.
   "Safety is more important," Laso, a 25-year-old A&M Corpus Christi student, said. "It's so much fun, it's worth the wait. I'm so excited."
   Neither the IceRays, coliseum nor city officials could say why the panel stuck to the ice or what they might be able to do to avoid future problems with the changeover from basketball to hockey.
   IceRays, city and Islander officials will wait until they meet later this week before they can give more definite answers, said Mike Modugno, director for public relations and broadcasting for the IceRays.
   "This is a learning process for all of us," said Tom Utter, assistant city manager. "These little glitches are just growing pains."
   The IceRays and Islanders each hire the same private firm, Stagehands Union, to change the ice rink and basketball court.
   Modugno said that coliseum officials raised the temperature in Memorial Coliseum higher than usual for the women's basketball tournament on Saturday. Modugno said he didn't know if that's what caused the problem.
   The transformation of the basketball court back into an ice rink went smoothly two previous times, said A&M-Corpus Christi Athletic Director Dan Viola. But this time, the pad remained on the ice for nine days - longer than it had before.
   The changeover from a basketball court began around 3:30 a.m. Sunday after Saturday's basketball game, Modugno said.
   By the time the hockey game began only half the arena was filled. Remaining fans drank beer, ate concession stand food and booed the Zamboni operators clearing the ice.
   Season ticket holder Audrey Soltis saw the delay as anything but a minor problem. After waiting nearly two hours for the game to begin, she and her husband Don went home mad.
   "I'm very disgusted," she said. "I'm patient to a point, but a two-hour delay - that's ridiculous."
   'Zero communication'
   Modugno said the IceRays were sorry to disappoint fans, but the delay was in the best interest of the players. It wasn't until early afternoon Sunday that crews realized they wouldn't be able to chip the panel off the ice in time for the 3:05 p.m. face-off.
   "Player safety has to be number one," Modugno said. "You have to give credit to the fans though. They're the best in the league. Tonight proves that more than ever."
   Fans weren't the only unhappy ones. Central Texas Stampede coach Todd Lalonde said the delay was unwarranted. A lack of organization was also to blame, he said.
   "There was absolutely zero communication with the league as to whether or not we were going to play the game," he said.
   Compensation for the delay
   IceRays officials said that to compensate for the delay, IceRays merchandise will be 40 percent off at their Sunrise Mall store and at the coliseum.
   Brainerd said she went to the ticket office to inquire about a refund and was asked to leave her name and phone number.
   "We heard that people were getting their money back," she said. "They said they would call us in the morning, to see what they could do for us. They probably have hundreds of people to call."
   Tina and Buddy Woodall said the only reason they waited until the game began was because it was their first live hockey experience. The drive from their home in Alice also discouraged them from picking up and heading back.
   "We're kind of disgusted it being our first time and all," Buddy Woodall said. "We had discussed buying season tickets but now we're not so sure."
   Avoiding future problems
   In the meantime, IceRays and city officials will meet this week to find out what the problem was, and to see what can be done in the future, Utter, the assistant city manager, said. City officials will examine what other cities with similar booking situations between team franchises do.
   "This is something done at different venues throughout the country," said Dan Viola, athletics director for A&M-Corpus Christi. "I don't know what happened here."
   Dustin McArthur, IceRays forward, didn't seem bothered by the night's delays. He scored two goals.
   "It happens in professional hockey when you're in a multi-use facility. It happens in the NHL, too," he said. "It doesn't happen a lot, and it probably won't happen here again, but we're professionals and we have to act like professionals. So we waited."



Sports writer Mark Button contributed to this report. Staff writer Deborah Martinez can be reached at 886-3622 or by e-mail at martinezd@caller.com

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