University of Iowa Men’s Hockey to Play at ImOn Ice
A sport that's been growing in popularity in Cedar Rapids for the last 20 years is getting even bigger.
ImOn Ice, the home of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, will now also be the home of the University of Iowa hockey program.
The agreement has been signed for two years to come to ImOn Ice despite construction of the XTream Arena being well underway in Coralville. It will see Iowa playing at ImOn Ice in Cedar Rapids while practicing at Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville. If it comes as a surprise that the University of Iowa even has a hockey team, it's more of a club, but the Gazette says they are members of Division 2 in the Central Region of the American Collegiate Hockey Association, currently at 20-0 as of this writing.
Game tickets will be sold through Ticketmaster and their locker room spruced up via donations to the hockey club.
The UI team includes local players Ethan Welch, Ethan Snee, Ryan Carlson, and Carter Jiran. Their coach is a former player and assistant coach for the RoughRiders. Kevin Brooks calls the new arrangement a "win-win for everyone". Iowa will even have its own dedicated locker room at ImOn Ice, formerly known as the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.