The Columbia Inferno is set to open its first season in the East Coast Hockey League Oct. 12. The team's owners, Columbia Hockey LLC, are paying for the nearly $1 million in renovations to the Coliseum, where the Inferno will play until the University's new arena is completed.
"This arena was designed with sightlines for basketball, not hockey, so it's not a natural fit," said Sid Kenyon, Coliseum operations manager. "We can make it work, but it won't be simple."
To make hockey work in the Coliseum, workers have installed a 300-ton-capacity cooling system that will maintain the ice rink. They also are modifying the first rows of retractable bleachers to accommodate an arena floor that will be several inches taller with insulation, coolant piping, and a layer of ice for the hockey rink.
Nearly 60 tons of steel rails will be laid in place to pull the bleachers out over the ice every time a men's or women's basketball game will be played. That extra step will increase the set-up time significantly, from the current four hours to as many as 12 or more. The hockey team's owners will cover the expenses of the extra prep time, Kenyon said.
"There could be some occasions when a hockey game concludes on a Friday evening and work crews would have to work through the night to convert the arena for a basketball game the next day," Kenyon said.
About 40 hockey games and 35 men's and women's basketball games will be played in the Coliseum this fall, winter, and spring.
"This December will be the first time we've ever had commencement ceremonies on top of an ice rink," Kenyon said.
When events such as basketball or commencement are held, a layer of insulation will be pulled over the ice rink to protect it. Dehumidifiers will be placed in the Coliseum rafters to reduce condensation that often develops because of the ice, Kenyon said.
Periodically, the rink will be allowed to thaw out so that the floor of the arena and the ground underneath don't freeze.
While Columbia Hockey LLC will bear all of the costs of the Coliseum renovation, USC will keep all revenue from concession sales and parking associated with the hockey games. Those monies typically are used to fund academic scholarships.
