ECHL Approves IceMen Move to Owensboro – 2016-17 Season Suspended

Hockey fans in Owensboro will have to wait a little longer to cheer on their IceMen after city officials and team ownership hold a joint press conference announcing the team will not play the upcoming season in order to have extra time to explore arena options.

In a press release to the media provided by the team, IceMen owner Ron Geary stated the team's decision to suspend the upcoming season was done "Out of fairness to the ECHL’s other member teams," adding, "this is not a project we can rush to complete. We want the Owensboro Sportscenter to be a great place to watch a hockey game, with amenities that are attractive to the fans.”

Evansville Courier-Press reporter, John Martin was present during the presser and tweeted information as it was presented. As Martin notes, Owensboro Mayor Ron Payne announced the Sportscenter is no longer the only option as an arena to house the team.

Meanwhile, Geary still sees the Sportscenter as a viable option.

While the decision of where the team will call home is up for debate, what is clear is the team will not play at all next year. The team says it's front office employees will continue to focus on selling corporate sponsorship's and season tickets for the 2017-18 season.

What isn't known at this time (or at least hasn't been announced publicly as of this writing), is what the voluntary suspension of next season means for players currently on the roster, as well as Al Sims and his coaching staff. For a hockey player in the minor leagues looking to keep their name out there for pro scouts, I would think taking a year off has the potential to seriously derail any hope of advancing to a bigger league.

There will no doubt be more developments on this story in the coming months.