ATHENS — Athens’ first professional hockey team was supposed to be in the middle of a four-game home stand this week.
But construction delays at the Rock Lobsters’ brand-new downtown Athens home, the Classic Center’s Akins Ford Arena, forced the postponement of two games last week. On Monday, the team announced Thursday’s scheduled game has been postponed, too, but it expects to play Friday if the arena passes inspection.
“Thank you for your patience and understanding,” the team and arena told fans via a joint statement. “Together, we will celebrate our passion for hockey and create a home-ice experience in Athens like no other.”
The team’s inaugural season is proving to be a frustrating one. Plans called for the Rock Lobsters to play their first 11 games on the road to allow enough time for the arena to be fully functional. The team has been forced to practice more than an hour away, in Cumming.
“To see this delay impact our ability to deliver on our vision for hockey in Athens is incredibly disheartening,” co-owners Barry Cohen and Nancy Peters said in a statement Friday.
The Classic Center, downtown near the University of Georgia’s campus, began construction on the $151 million expansion in 2022. The Rock Lobsters’ home opener last Friday was nixed hours before the game was to begin, and Saturday’s matchup was called off, too. That’s because the building’s fire alarm system hadn’t been approved and a certificate of occupancy could not be issued, said Doug Hansford, director of the Athens-Clarke County Building Inspection Department.
Time is ticking. In addition to the Rock Lobsters’ scheduled games, the B-52s, the band whose hit song inspired the team’s name, are slated to play a show there Saturday.
Hanford said he hopes the license will be issued this week, “Our main concern is always life safety and fire safety in any building and that has to override the desire to meet a certain time schedule.”
Athens fire marshal Richard Vaughn was at the arena Monday. He said “progress is being made” on work with the alarm and safety system, and it is scheduled to be tested Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Trust me, we want to have the event, too,” Vaughn said. “We’re going to do everything we can to be able to open for events safely this weekend.”
A spokesperson for JE Dunn, the building contractor, had no comment.
Akins Ford Arena will have a capacity upward of 8,500 for concerts and 5,500 for hockey games. Hansford said plumbing, electrical and mechanical aspects of the building have been inspected. That includes bathroom facilities, stairways and finishes on the walls, ceilings and floors.
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