When fans attend a minor league baseball game at Truist Stadium in Charlotte, they are greeted by the traditions of America’s pastime — the crack of the bat, the pop of the ball in the catcher's mitt and the playing of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in the seventh inning stretch.
But on Nov. 23, Truist Stadium will take on a different atmosphere — the sound of skates on ice, banging of sticks on the wall and chants of "Gamecocks" by South Carolina fans echoing around the venue.
For the first time in program history, the South Carolina men’s hockey club will be competing in an outdoor game against the North Carolina State men’s hockey team.
The opportunity to play in a potential once-in-a-lifetime venue, and to have another shot at beating the Wolfpack, has players like third-year marketing student and acting vice president Brendan Flaherty excited for the contest.
“I'm super pumped. Once they announced it, I couldn't wait. I mean, it's a legit stadium." Flaherty said. "A minor league team plays there in the city of Charlotte in the backdrop, I've played a few outdoor games in my life, but nothing like this.”
But the match — along with two other games that feature Duke, Vanderbilt, Charlotte and Appalachian State — are just a precursor to the Light the Knights Festival.
The festival's roots
The Light the Knights Festival is a 27-day experience that turns Truist Park into a winter wonderland for the holiday season, offering fans a variety of activities such as a 150-foot snow tubing hill and a holiday light show.
The festival began in 2020 when the Charlotte Knights, the stadium's Minor League Baseball team, had its season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Special Events Grace Harper and other members of the organization had to find a way to generate revenue from the canceled baseball season. It was then when they had an idea to transform their ballpark into a winter wonderland.
“We were just brainstorming different ideas, and the concept of a holiday festival came about where we could use the exterior, outdoor areas of our ballpark and let people come in, look at different holiday decor, scenes, lights,” Harper said.
Freshman defenseman Kai Bonsukan pushes the puck down the ice on Nov. 3, 2024, during South Carolina’s game against the University of Tampa. Bonsukan previously played for the New Jersey Rockets NCDC.
This is not uncommon for local baseball stadiums to transform their ballparks into holiday light displays. Segra Park, home of the Columbia Fireflies, does something similar.
The organization decided to partner with local businesses who would provide opportunities for customers to shop while they would supply the ballpark with lights and decorations to create the holiday festival.
Two years later, the Knights' front office decided to invest in a full-size NHL hockey rink, as well as a 150-foot snow tubing hill, to continue to add to holiday festivities, Harper said.
“We wanted to bring the winter fun in addition to all of the charm that our holiday lights provide, so that you have kind of this full entertainment hub in the holiday season,” Harper said.
There is also a large market of hockey fans in the Charlotte area, with fans following the city's American Hockey League team, the Charlotte Checkers and even UNC Charlotte’s club hockey team, something Harper said he had noticed.
With Truist Park's ability to host a hockey game, the Charlotte men’s club hockey team made history in November of 2022, by becoming the first collegiate hockey club to play an outdoor hockey match in Truist Park, Harper said.
The following year, Charlotte was invited back to play Appalachian State, where they managed to attract over 4,200 hockey fans from the surrounding areas, compared to 2,600 from the previous year.
Just a few months later, Harper said the stadium would make history again by hosting its first outdoor hockey match featuring professional teams in the city of Charlotte when the Charlotte Checkers took on the Rochester Americans. The game was a sellout, brining out over 11,000 hockey fans to the stadium.
"I knew we had this whole market we have yet to really engage with." Harper said. "We are seeing people wanting to see competitive hockey on all different levels"
South Carolina prepares to make history
For the 2024 Light the Knight Festival, the front office decided to extend the invitation to more teams across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Harper, who played softball at Elon from 2011 to 2015, said playing in environments different from her home field provided life-long memories.
She wanted to offer this feeling to as many athletes as possible, she said.
“It's something worth doing, and you'll remember it for the rest of your life,” Harper said. "That's what we wanna provide for these collegiate athletes, is that unique opportunity for something outside of their normal schedule.”
The organization reached out to several schools within the state and heard back from Duke, NC State, UNC Chapel Hill and UNC Charlotte. Each of the four teams then reached out to teams they wanted to play.
Fourth-year exercise science student and Gamecock Hockey Club President Ronan Mulkerrin said that South Carolina was first approached about the opportunity to play in an outdoor match by NC State head coach Tim Healy.
Due to both the Wolfpack and the Gamecocks having large fan bases, as well as both teams having already planned to play each other in the regular season, Mulkerrin said he was on board for this opportunity.
Once both teams agreed to the match, the Wolfpack reached back to Harper to confirm who the team was playing. And on Aug. 1, it was announced that South Carolina and NC State would face off in what is being called “The Battle at the Ballpark”.
Junior defenseman Brendan Flaherty steals the puck from a University of Tampa player on Nov. 3, 2024. Flaherty scored the first of four goals for the Gamecocks.
This will not be the first time these teams have faced off against each other this season. On Sept. 27, the Wolfpack defeated South Carolina 4-3, the only loss so far for the Gamecocks.
Both teams are no strangers to competing in larger stadiums, as South Carolina has previously played in Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, while NC State played in PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, both of which are home to professional hockey teams.
The Wolfpack competed at Carter-Finley Stadium, the university's football stadium, last season following a Carolina Hurricanes match. The Hurricanes competed in the NHL Stadium Series, a collection of professional hockey games taking place in outdoor venues.
But the "Battle at the Ballpark" remains a rare experience as no South Carolina player has competed in an outdoor match as a member of the club in its 23 year history, Mulkerrin said.
“We're definitely trying to play off that unique experience," Mulkerrin said. "It's something that fans are not gonna be able to see often, we're hoping that we're able to do this again in the future, but you never know."
South Carolina will be relying on its alumni base within the Charlotte area to help pack the stands at Truist Park, due to the Gamecocks also playing a home football game the same day.
This shouldn’t be an issue, Harper said. Of the eight teams competing, every single one has a large alumni base in the city, Mulkerrin said.
But Flaherty said he believes the team is more than capable capturing the victory over the Wolfpack.
“I think we just have to become ready to play," Flaherty said. "Last time, we came out flat off the bus. If we're more prepared and focused when it comes to puck drop, I think we'll be more than fine."
Plans for the future
South Carolina and Mulkerrin are not only looking to continue winning. The team wants to grow the brand of Gamecock Hockey Club.
“Obviously, continuing to win games, but I think it goes farther than that when you're trying to grow a brand, and you're trying to grow a team," Mulkerrin said.
Social media is one way the team tries to promote itself. Of all the University of South Carolina's sports teams, including its NCAA Division I programs, the men's club hockey has the ninth-highest-followed Instagram account and is the fourth-highest-followed men's sport on campus.
“The more support we have, the more likely we are to be able to fund a team and hopefully get an NCAA team — who knows, for 10, 15 years down the road,” Mulkerrin said.
Growth of hockey in the Southeast isn’t just limited to the Gamecocks. At the 2024 AAU Nationals tournament, the Division II and III three winners — as well South Carolina, who won at the Division I level — all represented teams based in the South.
Senior winger Nick Kaye takes a shot on goal against the University of Tampa goalie on Nov. 3, 2024. Kaye is one of the assistant captains for the Gamecocks this season.
Teams within the Southeast are also looking to expand by building new arenas such as UNC Chapel Hill, which began a $25 million fundraising campaign for the construction of an ice hockey arena has begun.
As hockey continues to expand in the Southeast, Harper said she believes Truist Park could become a recurring site for major hockey matches.
Harper wants to maintain the rarity of the getting to compete outside but also has the hopes of potentially hosting championships or tournaments in the future.
“We would love to be a vessel for teams to have that unique experience playing on an outdoor rink. We know it's not that common, especially in the Southeast,” Harper said. “If we can be that hub for teams to get that kind of one off experience within their schedule, we welcome that.”