Wythe County’s soil must be very unique.
A hockey team was born out of an idea nurtured by the locals.
From humble beginnings, the Federal Prospects Hockey League’s Blue Ridge Bobcats emerged as a formidable force.
Well, maybe not in full bloom on October 20, as they lost 5-3 to the visiting Mississippi Sea Wolves in their first official game as a team.
However, the opening game was held inside Wythe County’s Apex Center, a 90,000-square-foot building situated on 95 verdant acres with a view of Interstate 81’s Exit 77.
And that’s a significant win.
It still had a dirt floor in the early summer. The area is now covered with a hockey rink, and the ice won’t be removed until the local team’s 56-game season concludes in April.
For the first time since the Chicago Cubs moved its Appalachian League Rookie baseball team out of Withers Field in downtown Wytheville in 1989, professional sports have returned to the county.
Give that some thought.
Wytheville is home to a professional sports team.
The assistant administrator for Wythe County, Matt Hankins, was one of the inquisitive spectators waiting for the Bobcats to take the ice for the first time on a spotlessly clean concrete rink.
Barry Soskin, the owner of the Bobcats, is no stranger to starting a hockey team from scratch.
The 66-year-old native of Illinois has owned multiple teams in various leagues and currently holds a majority ownership in at least four other FPHL teams: the Baton Rouge Zydeco, the Carolina Thunderbirds of Winston-Salem, the Port Huron (Michigan) Prowlers, and the Sea Wolve, who will play the Bobcats on Friday.
