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* ORIGINALLY From [log in to unmask] Fri Jan 23 11:08:24 1998
* Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 11:12:22 -0700
* From: Sports Net <[log in to unmask]>
* Subject: Another Story about the New CC Arena
* To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Colorado College to christen arena
By Michael Chambers
Special to The Denver Post
Jan. 23 - COLORADO SPRINGS - Five years after accepting what many thought was a dead-end job, Colorado College coach Don Lucia might be looked upon today as having one of college hockey's premier positions.
Lucia, 39, runs a program that school officials demand be squeaky clean, but a program that is not measured by its wins and losses.
And as of Thursday, a program that finally has a home.
Make that a very nice home.
The Tigers, the only full-time tenants of the new $57 million Colorado Springs World Arena, practiced in their new digs for the first time Thursday in preparation for tonight's showdown with the University of Wisconsin.
"The one thing we have been lacking is a first-class facility,'' Lucia said. "We have a great school academically, our kids graduate in four years with a good degree and Colorado Springs is a great place to live.
"Now we have a great facility.''
That great facility, a privately funded venue that will host everything from 8,500 concert-goers to mom and dad watching their children's pee-wee hockey games, features an Olympic-size sheet of ice and all the special touches of today's state-of-the-art design. Sure to be among the favorite crowd-pleaser is a four-sided scoreboard and video screen above center ice.
Of the 7,348 seats for hockey, about 6,000 will be used by CC season-ticket holders. That number is roughly 5,550 more than what the school had at The Broadmoor when Lucia took over in 1993.
"We're right about 6,000 in season tickets,'' said Lucia, whose team has played its home games at the Cadet Ice Arena since The Broadmoor was torn down in 1994. "Five years ago when we came here it was less than 50. I was even shocked. We were up to 1,600,1,700 at the Air Force Academy, but (6,000) has exceeded everybody's expectations.''
Lucia, who has graduated every four-year hockey player he's ever signed and holds the No. 1 winning percentage of all previous CC coaches, said the reason for CC's large season-ticket base is twofold.
"The combination of the new arena . . . and, I think, the team's success in the recent past has helped put people in the seats,'' he said. "Plus, everybody is going to be using it, and it's an attractive place. Hopefully, it will be the place to go on the weekends.''
From now on, it will be where Lucia goes every day. He, along with his staff, have offices across the hall from the Tigers' substantial locker room. From the CC campus, players will have to make a 6-mile drive south on I-25 to get to the arena.
"We've never had a situation where we go right from our locker room to the ice,'' Lucia said. "This is our third rink in five years, but this is truly our home.''
"It's unbelievable; pretty exciting times around here,'' said Tigers junior center Brian Swanson. "I've been to a couple good rinks, with (Minnesota's) Mariucci (Arena) probably being the best. But this rink is as good or better.''
Connected to the World Arena by an underground tunnel is the World Arena Ice Hall, which has two sheets of ice - Olympic and North American sizes.
Both aspects of the new property were first announced in the fall of 1994, about a year after Lucia took the CC job amid speculation the program might die.
"It was build it or say goodbye to our program,'' Lucia said. "We couldn't have continued to play at Air Force.
"Three and a half years is a long time to wait. Our fans have showed a lot of patience, but most important our players have done a good job of dealing without our own facilities.''
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