Ice hockey is one of those games that I didn't really appreciate on television. But sitting in an arena and watching the sport played live is a whole different story.

And just because we're in warm South Carolina, that doesn't mean we don't appreciate the cold-weather sports.

Two professional hockey teams play in the Palmetto State -- the South Carolina Stingrays play in the North Charleston Coliseum, while the home ice for the Greenville Road Warriers is the BiLo Center near downtown Greenville.

The teams play in the ECHL, which used to be know as the East Coast Hockey League, but now has teams all over the United States. It's a mid-level professional hockey league, known as the leading professional developmental league for the American Hockey and National Hockey League teams.

There is a lot of excitement on the ice, plus the games are a whole lot of fun for families.
For example, join the Stingrays or Road Warriers kids clubs for good deals on tickets and promotions.

Upcoming promotions for the Stingrays include $5 tickets for Pack the House day Jan. 28, while Jan. 29 is Kids Day.

For the Road Warriers, Feb. 12 and Feb. 19 are family days, with post-game skate skills sessions.

The season continues through March -- plenty of time to check out the action on ice.