dome_game_rendering.jpg

An artist's rendering of how the Carrier Dome will look on Nov. 22, when the Crunch hosts the Utica Comets.

(Courtesy of the Syracuse Crunch)

Syracuse, N.Y. — The Carrier Dome will host the first hockey game in its history on Nov. 22 when the Syracuse Crunch meets the Utica Comets for the Frozen Dome Classic.

A 200-by-85 foot rink will be temporarily built inside the Dome, and the event will be set up in the same configuration the school uses for basketball games.

The capacity for the hockey game isn't clear yet because courtside basketball seats will have to be removed to fit in the rink. The basketball court is 94 feet long by 50 feet wide.

There will be at least three games played. The other two confirmed are a men's college game between Oswego State and Utica and a charity game between Syracuse police and firemen and their counterparts from Utica. A fourth game will likely be added, perhaps involving the Syracuse University women's team.

Crunch season ticket-holders will have the game included in their season ticket packages and will get first dibs on buying extras. Season ticket-holders for Utica College, Oswego State, the Comets and SU basketball and football will also get a shot at advance sale purchases.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public at a time to be announced.

In the past, Syracuse owner Howard Dolgon has said tickets will be in the $20-$30 range, with one ticket covering all of the contests on game day.

Every fan who purchases a ticket for any of the games will count toward the Crunch's overall attendance figure that night. The AHL single-game attendance record is 45,653 set Jan. 6, 2012 for an outdoor contest between Hershey vs. Adirondack at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The figure, however, includes fans who had also paid to watch the earlier feature attraction between Philadelphia and the New York Rangers.

The biggest crowd to watch an AHL game where that contest was the main attraction is 21,673 for an outdoor game between Providence and Connecticut on Feb. 19, 2011 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn.

Third-place belongs to the Crunch at 21,508 for its outdoor game against Binghamton at the state fairgrounds on Feb. 20, 2010. That was the first outdoor game in AHL history.

Contact Lindsay Kramer anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-470-2151