Net gain for Meridian Centre
Brock hoops teams holding court in downtown St. Catharines arena
Basketball is bouncing back into downtown St. Catharines, and Brock University is again hoping opposing teams will see nothing but red.
On Saturday, Nov. 17, the Badgers will renew their Ontario University Athletics (OUA) rivalry with the Ryerson Rams with a doubleheader at Meridian Centre. Women’s action tips off at 6 p.m. with the men taking the court two hours later.
Playing a home game away from home in the downtown arena has become a tradition for basketball and hockey teams at Brock.
“Playing in front of massive crowds in a big venue like the Meridian Centre creates experiences that our athletes will remember for the rest of their lives,” said Neil Lumsden, athletic director at the university.
In September, 5,000 fans, many wearing Badgers red, crowded into the six-year-old arena and watched the Brock men’s hockey team triple the Guelph Gryphons 3-1 in the 20th Steel Blade Classic. Seating capacity for hockey in the six-year-old, multi-use facility is 5,300, while 4,300 can be accommodated when the floor is configured for basketball.
Tickets for the Steel Blade Classic were sold out nearly a week in advance.
“We’re proud that these games have turned into must-attend events for our students and fans, and we want to remind the community to get their tickets early,” Lumsden said.
The home of the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League can be converted to basketball overnight, though only if you have a crew of 10 who know what they are doing and can fit all of the pieces together.
For starters, the pieces of hardwood that make up the court aren’t placed directly on the ice surface. Meridian Centre general manager Jeff Dixon said a specialized interlocking “ice deck” protects both the ice below and the wood on top.
In addition to installing the floor and removing the Plexiglass topping the boards in the hockey configuration, the setup crew is responsible for placing folding chairs on the floor.
“It’s usually 200 for basketball, for concerts it can be as many as 2,000,” Dixon said.
Conversions take eight hours, “from start to finish.”
“Obviously, it’s a little faster when you’re going back to hockey, but it’s not much faster,” he added.
For the conversion crew, the Brock-Ryerson twin-bill Saturday night comes in the midst of a busy stretch of events at the multi-use facility.
After the IceDogs host the Hamilton Bulldogs on the Thursday, the floor will be set for a Tim Hicks concert the following night.
On Sunday, right after a night of hoops, it’s back to the hockey configuration with Meridian Centre hosting public skating following the Santa Claus Parade.
“It will be four days of extremely different events,” Dixon said. “That’s a testament to the city that built this facility.”
Meridian Centre was last configured for basketball in June when Canada hosted the FIBA U18 Americas Championship. In all 16 games were played in the eight-team men’s tournament that wrapped up with the U.S. defeating host Canada 113-74 for the gold medal. In past years conversion to hoops from hockey was commonplace, but the Niagara River Lions opted to play a spring-summer schedule in the new Canadian Elite Basketball League rather than return to the National Basketball League of Canada for another fall season.
Tickets for the Brock-Ryerson doubleheader are available online at Ticketmaster online with prices set at $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors, and $8 for children 12 and younger. Limited courtside seats are available for $35.
For every student ticket sold, $1 will be donated to the Brock University Students’ Union Food First Program, an on-campus food bank.
Doors open at 5 p.m. and the first 500 fans into will receive a free Brock Badgers T-shirt.