GRAND RAPIDS, MI — The Michigan Liquor Control Commission has suspended Van Andel Arena’s liquor license for four Grand Rapids Griffins hockey games later this month after two underage patrons were able to buy alcohol at the arena.

Richard MacKeigan, general manager for Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place Convention Center, said the violation occurred at a Grand Rapids Griffins hockey game in March.

The arena’s license will be suspended for Griffins games on Oct. 23, 25, 26 and 30. No alcoholic beverages will be sold in the arena during those games and no alcohol may be served or consumed in the arena suites or hospitality areas, according to a statement from the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority. Consistent with policies already in place, no alcoholic beverages may be brought into the arena at any time.

“We strive to have practices and policies in place that negate this type of incident,” MacKeigan said. “But when you’re dealing with 200 employees per event as well as the hundreds of thousands of people that come through the arena’s doors on an annual basis, we acknowledge that it’s possible. And for that reason, we continue to monitor and upgrade our practices and policies on an event by event basis.”

The arena paid a combined fine of $3,800 for the violations, according to MacKeigan.

He said this is Van Andel Arena’s first liquor control commission violation since 2011.

According to the statement, during a Grand Rapids Police Department operation at a Grand Rapids Griffins game on March 8, 2019, concessions staff and volunteers checked but failed to validate the vertical licenses of two patrons attempting to purchase alcoholic beverages, and those patrons were served.

Vertical IDs are issued to residents under the age of 21.

Arena staff and managers will implement a new ID checking procedure to prevent such an incident in the future, said MacKeigan, who is regional general manager of ASM Global, the company hired to manage the arena and convention center.