ROME - Minor league sports have a rich history in the Utica-Rome area, with the Utica Blue Sox, Utica Devils, and Clinton Comets. On Wednesday, a new chapter was written, as a new minor hockey league announced it's putting one of its inaugural teams in Rome.

The Eastern Professional Hockey League, which has already finalized teams in Danbury, Conn., and West Orange, N.J., selected Rome based on a stable local owner (real estate agent and Prospect resident Wayne Primo), a professional facility (the under-renovation Kennedy Arena), and a history of both interest in and support of hockey in the area.

Unlike amateur and semi-professional leagues that have come and gone in recent years, the EPHL will be a full-time professional minor league playing at the single-A level. The team will play 25 home games beginning in November, with tickets expected to cost between $9 and $15.

The team will hold open tryouts this summer, and even the coaching jobs are available. Details will be made available once they're finalized on the league's website at www.EPHL.com. The site will undergo a facelift once the rest of the teams are finalized next month, and a team site will be launched early this summer. As for a team name, fans can submit their suggestions on the league website right now, and prizes will be awarded both for the winner and at random.