03/29/2026
After taking my daughter to a circus at the Appalachian Exposition Center in Fort Chiswell—now the Hitachi Energy Arena—as the pandemic was dawning, I swore I’d never return to that venue. Parking my handicapped van was the worst experience I’d ever had; I was nearly hit twice and spent more than an hour trying to exit. On top of that, my obstructed view ensured I had no desire to come back. A wheelchair-bound friend of mine later had an equally abysmal experience when the Blue Ridge Bobcats first arrived on the Wythe County scene.
Since then, several fans and volunteers have urged me to attend a hockey game, assuring me that significant renovations had been made. I remained leery, but finally relented when the team’s director of media relations and play-by-play broadcaster personally invited me to a game. I had followed his posts—delivered with humor and a gregarious personality—and was eager to meet the North Carolina native and Appalachian State University graduate in person.
My friend and driver, Jeremy Miller, brought me a little later than the 6:00 p.m. arrival time Wiseman had recommended. That may have been why I was unable to sit at ice level, as Wiseman had intended, and was instead directed to the designated handicapped section in the stands. The view there was significantly better than during my visit six years ago. Still, it was difficult to follow the action on the opposite side of the arena—especially when many of the 2,123 patrons were standing.
Parking, however, was much improved. Although we arrived too late to secure one of the prime handicapped spaces near the entrance, we found a suitable spot at the end of a row where my van had ample room to deploy without concern about neighboring vehicles. Anyone traveling in a wheelchair should plan to arrive at least ninety minutes prior to an event at Hitachi Energy Arena to ensure optimal parking, entry, and access to seating.
Thanks to Brett Wiseman, I was able to enter through a side entrance, where I watched players go through their pregame stretching and warmups. Hearing his commentary on the team’s YouTube channel the following day was an even greater thrill. Wiseman is a first-rate broadcaster and performer in his own right.
As for the Saturday, March 28 game, I picked an especially memorable night to attend. With a 4–0 shutout over the P*e Dee IceCats of Florence, South Carolina, the Blue Ridge Bobcats strengthened their playoff position in their final home game of the 2025–2026 season, notching their seventh consecutive win—a franchise record. The streak included a second straight victory over the IceCats, following a 5–3 win the previous night.
The first goal came just over halfway through the opening of three twenty-minute periods, when Filip Hlavac—a Czech Republic native who turns 23 on April 16—found the net. Steven Alvo added the lone goal of the second period, scoring just under two minutes in. Two more goals came in the final frame: the first from Mike Mercurio, a 25-year-old from New Hartford, New York, midway through the period, and the final from Nick Stuckless, who extended his scoring streak to five consecutive games. With less than ninety-five seconds remaining, Stuckless—a 28-year-old from Ontario, Canada—put the finishing touch on the Bobcats’ dominant performance. Thirty-six-year-old Greg Hussey of Medford, Massachusetts earned first-star honors, stopping all 34 shots by the IceCats.
The Bobcats traveled to Biloxi for April 3 and 4 matchups at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum against the Biloxi Breakers, before closing out with a faceoff against the Twin City Thunderbirds at another of my favorite venues in North Carolina, the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds, before returning home one last time on April 11th for a final game with the Thunderbirds before the undetermined championship game schedule. By the time you read this, fans will already know the outcome of those games.
I’d like to extend my thanks, as always to Jeremy for helping me keep my job by being my unpaid chauffeur. I am also very grateful Brett Wiseman for his first-class hospitality, and also recognize two talented friends of mine who are helping support the legacy of both the Blue Ridge Bobcats and Wythe County through their outstanding work, Dr. Josh Stephens of Alpha Therapy and Cory Parker of MountainCAP Media, whose stunning photography and video capture the excitement of the game like no one else.
