LAS VEGAS >> A Las Vegas minor league hockey team that searched for weeks for new home ice has announced plans to build a modular arena atop a downtown casino.

The Las Vegas Wranglers plan to spend $4 million building a 45,000-square-foot insulated fabric-shell structure containing a hockey rink and seating for 3,500 fans at the Plaza Hotel casino, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Wranglers President Billy Johnson said the rooftop venue at the Plaza, at Main and Fremont streets, is expected to be ready for the Wranglers to play their ECHL season beginning in November.

Representatives for the Tamares Group, parent of the Plaza, declined to comment.

The five-year deal between the Wranglers and the Plaza came three weeks after Boyd Gaming declined to renew the Wranglers’ lease after 10 years at the Orleans Arena.

Johnson said the Plaza lease could be extended for a second five years.

Las Vegas-based modular building company Vision Building Systems LLC has been hired to erect the metal structure, which will be similar to white-tent facilities at the nearby World Market Center.

The casino roof once was part of a parking structure and now has tennis and basketball courts and a pool. Johnson said it can handle the weight of an arena and fans without additional structural work.

Average home game attendance at the Orleans has been about 4,600, including 1,150 season tickets.

Johnson said the Wranglers will re-evaluate ticket prices for next season.

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