A hockey team in Biloxi? Coast residents have to prove they want it first
There will be three minor league hockey games played at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi in December as part of an effort to bring a pro team back to the Coast.
The teams that will be playing in the coliseum are members of the Federal Prospects Hockey League, which describes itself as a “Single-A” league.
There were no pairings or game times provided during a news conference Tuesday at the coliseum, but the plan is to host the neutral-site contests in Biloxi on Dec. 2, Dec. 17 and Dec. 30. Tickets are on sale at the coliseum box office.
There are eight teams in the FPHL with only two teams located in the Southeast — Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Columbus, Georgia. The other six squads are in the states of New York, Connecticut, Delaware and Michigan.
It’s been seven years since Biloxi last had a hockey team, but Coast Coliseum executive director Matt McDonnell believes he has the right group of investors involved to end that drought.
“We had to be really smart when we had the opportunity to play hockey that we had investors that had the money, the know-how, the passion and the desire to make hockey work,” McDonnell said. “This is why we’re here today because we believe we have found those investors.”
Barry Soskin, who is a team owner in the FPHL and Joe Pace, a former FPHL coach/player who is tasked with leading the effort to bring an FPHL team to Biloxi, were both on hand for Wednesday’s news conference.
Biloxi previously served as home for two minor league hockey teams — the Mississippi Sea Wolves of the East Coast Hockey League from 1996-2009 and the Mississippi Surge of the Southern Professional Hockey League from 2009-14.
The Sea Wolves had some success on the ice and in the seats at the coliseum, but Hurricane Katrina in 2005, an economic downtown in 2008 and the decline of minor league hockey in the Gulf Coast region all contributed to the shutting of the franchise in 2009.
“Attendance started dropping and there were a lot of reasons — we’re not going to point fingers,” McDonnell said. “But when the attendance dropped, we never could seem to get the magic back.”
An ardent group of Sea Wolves fans has remained active on social media, playing a role in the attempted revival of minor league hockey on the Coast. A Facebook page titled “Biloxi Pro Hockey,” which was formerly known as “Bring back our Sea Wolves,” has about 4,600 followers with regular posts encouraging people to get behind the campaign.
There were about 110 hockey fans who showed up at the coliseum on Wednesday to watch the media event that was intended to boost the campaign for pro hockey in Biloxi.
McDonnell said that if a hockey team is to come to Biloxi, the three games scheduled for December will have to first be a success.
“I have to tell y’all, it’s very important that we turn out to support this,” McDonnell said. “It’s not just important for these investors. It’s important for us here at the coliseum. We have to be able to generate revenue from the sport.”
