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Nerves and crowds greet first true home hockey game By
Jason Robey The Utah State University Hockey team christened its new home last week with a 4-2 win over Weber State. The sold-out game was the first of many to be in the Eccles Ice Center in North Logan, which opened during the first week of January, and has also been used for several Olympic practice sessions. The arena normally holds only about 950. It has only having concrete bleachers on one side of the ice. According to Becca Michels, Utah State Hockey public relations intern, extra bleachers were brought in for the opening game that held more than 200 extra people, and approximately 150 standing tickets were also sold. Michels said that the arena intends to have more permanent seating in the future, and will likely bring in extra bleachers as long as they are warranted until then. "Our goal is not to turn people away from our games, but to welcome them to a night of exciting entertainment," Michels said. The USU hockey team, which holds the No. 1 position in the western region, has been playing at the Ogden Ice Sheet on Weber State's campus since the team started playing in 1994. According to team captain Paul Amidon, players were all excited to finally play a home game in front of an actual home crowd. "The arena was filled to capacity, and it was great to know they're all from Logan," said Amidon. Home games against Weber State have been played at the Ogden Ice Sheet until now, and though the crowd was often more Utah State than Weber State, the team still didn't feel like they were playing on their home ice. "Everyone was pretty nervous, more than I've seen in my team for a game," Amidon said about playing on their ice for the first time. The Utah State Hockey team has six home games left this season, before they compete in the national tournament in New York City at the end of February.
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