After nearly 15 years of playing at Oceanside Arena, the ASU ice hockey club will say goodbye to the small community rink for a larger venue.
Coyotes Ice, owner of Alltel Ice Den, announced an agreement Tuesday that will make the Scottsdale-based skating facility ASU's new home.
"The move to Alltel Ice Den will go a long way toward furthering the ASU hockey program's credibility," ASU coach Mike De Angelis said in a statement. "To add a facility of this magnitude to the package will only serve to give our players and fans a home venue to be proud of."
The 117,000-square-foot facility has become a premier venue for national and international figure skating events, shows and competitions. It will host all of ASU's home games next season, and it will continue to house practices for the Phoenix Coyotes and other NHL teams.
"We're very pleased that we could strike a deal with the ASU program," Coyotes Ice President Mike O'Hearn said in a statement. "The ASU program will act as a tremendous role model for these youngsters."
De Angelis, who serves as director of the Coyotes Amateur Hockey Association, has led ASU to multiple winning seasons and a pair of American Collegiate Hockey Association national tournament appearances since taking over as head coach before the 2003-04 season.
Last year, ASU posted an
18-8 record and earned a No. 10 national ranking. The Sun Devils nearly swept UA this season, winning seven of eight games, including five in Tucson.
John Wold, director of the ASU ice hockey club, said the goals he set three years ago are starting to come to fruition. Acquiring a credible coach and a top-flight facility and building the program to the point where players no longer have to pay fees were among his objectives.
"I'm two-thirds of the way to my dream," Wold said in a statement. "To gain access to a state-of-the-art facility like the Ice Den is truly a dream come true. With our games being played at the Ice Den, we're on our way to financial self-sufficiency."
The Sun Devils are scheduled to host the first annual Desert Classic Tournament from Jan. 5-8 at the Ice Den. The round-robin event will feature several marquee teams, including UA, Penn State and Iowa State. ASU's training camp starts in September. The season starts in October.
Reach the reporter at michael.fowler@asu.edu.
