JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Icemen are looking forward to getting back on the ice after seeing four games postponed in a week.
The team was scheduled to take on the South Carolina Stingrays on the road on Jan. 18 before heading home for a series of three games in three nights.
Out of an abundance of caution, the ECHL postponed those games scheduled for Jan. 22, Jan. 23 and Jan. 24. Play-by-play broadcaster Alex Reed told “The Morning Show” on Jan. 24 that there have been a group of teams playing each other a lot recently. He added that there were some COVID-19 cases among those teams, and the decision was made to reduce the spread.
Fans who had tickets for any of the three games at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena this weekend can redeem them for any future game. Reed said the team has already started contacted ticket holders.
“We just released and announced the next batch of our schedule,” said Reed.
That next batch includes 22 games spanning from Feb. 14 to April 3 but does not include makeup dates for the postponed games. Reed said the teams involved, along with the arena, are meeting and should have something in the next week or two.
Due to the situation, head coach Jason Christie canceled practices, as well. Reed said the team’s strength and conditioning coach is providing players with off-ice workouts to stay in shape.
The team will head to Greenville to take on the Swamp Rabbits on Jan. 30. It will be the Icemen’s first game in nearly two weeks. Reed said the team will hit the ice at home a couple of times before heading out. If more games are postponed, the team will have to look at the possibility of more three games in three nights series to fit the season in.
“Really any season even in a normal year the final couple months of the season, the second half is always a little bit of a grind,” said Reed. “The guys will get used to it, and I’m certain that it will be fine here once they get a couple of those weekends under their belt.”
The team’s next home game is scheduled for Feb. 6.