Mississippi Coast Coliseum - Biloxi Breakers

Photos by Matt Colville, Stadium Journey

Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43

Mississippi Coast Coliseum 2350 Beach Blvd Biloxi, MS 39531

Biloxi Breakers website Mississippi Coast Coliseum website

Year Opened: 1977 Capacity: 9,150

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Welcome to Breaker Bay

It’s a new era for hockey on the Gulf Coast. The Sea Wolves have sailed off, and from the warm waters of the Gulf has emerged something new – the Biloxi Breakers, the newest franchise in the FPHL.

Hockey’s roots along the Mississippi Coast trace back to 1996, when the original Sea Wolves took the ice as one of the ECHL’s most exciting teams. From 1996 to 2005, and again from 2007 to 2009, they electrified fans at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, packing the stands nightly and delivering a Kelly Cup championship in 1999, a remarkable milestone for a market few expected to embrace hockey.

Hurricane Katrina eventually brought that era to an end, though the Sea Wolves made a brief return before the Mississippi Surge carried the torch. The Surge competed in the SPHL from 2009 to 2012, keeping hockey alive on the Coast until their closure left the Coliseum without a home team for nearly a decade.

A flicker of hope returned in 2021 when a series of sold-out neutral-site FPHL games in Biloxi proved the passion for hockey still burned strong along the coast. The Sea Wolves were reborn in 2022, but the revival was marred by ownership instability, revolving coaches and players, and inconsistent front-office leadership. Despite fan loyalty, the product on the ice never quite matched the glory days of the original franchise. Then, finally, after the 2024–25 season, new ownership stepped in, ushering in a fresh new identity for Gulf Coast hockey: the Biloxi Breakers.

The name pays homage to the power and beauty of the Gulf itself, the waves that crash and reform endlessly along the shoreline: a symbol of strength, renewal, and motion. Just as those waves carve new paths into the sand, the Breakers aim to carve a new legacy in the Gulf Coast’s hockey history.

Food and Beverage   3

The Coliseum has six permanent concession stands, though only two are typically open for Breakers games. The primary stand, Gulf Coast Eats, offers a familiar arena menu – burgers, chicken tender baskets, nachos, jumbo pretzels, hot dogs, and popcorn. Two bar areas on the concourse also provide a wide range of drink options, including canned cocktails, domestic beers like Miller Lite and Coors Lite, and premium selections such as Blue Moon, Truly, Flying Llama IPA, Modelo, Corona, and Yuengling. Coca-Cola products serve as the arena’s soft-drink choices.

The concourse also includes two food carts; the first offers mac and cheese bowls or brisket and pulled-pork sandwiches, for fans wanting something more substantial. The other, The Penalty Box, highlights Southern-style desserts like bread pudding and peach cobbler. You can even cap things off with a Barq’s root beer float – a fitting option, considering Barq’s was famously created just down the road, also in Biloxi.

Atmosphere   3

The Breakers play at the 9,150-seat Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi. The large, beige, stucco building opened in 1977 and has become a symbol of the Mississippi Coast. The Coliseum is often featured in aerial shots of Biloxi along with the city’s impressive casinos and the historic Biloxi Lighthouse. The venue is the typical mid-sized city’s civic center of the 70s and 80s, lacking some of the amenities found at some of hockey’s newer arenas. Regardless, the Coliseum is still the largest arena in Breaker’s 14-team conference.

The ice faces north and south with a two-level seating bowl, as well as a wraparound concourse so you can walk around the entire arena. There are no suites or club levels; instead, the floor level features four makeshift suite areas on the south end of the venue. The north side features a seating area with high-end stools and cocktail tables. The concourse on the first floor also features a merchandise stand which sells a few items, such as shirts and pucks, but definitely not as much merchandise as they had back in the Sea Wolf days.

When the Sea Wolves returned, they brought back all the nostalgia of the original Sea Wolves.  The Breakers brought a lot over from the Sea Wolves days, like the playing of Europe’s “The Final Countdown” at the start of the 3rd period. In addition, the iconic Sea Wolf mascot Hook has been brought back in the same mascot costume from the original franchise, except now he dons a blue Breaker shirt. Hook is a constant presence at Breakers games and is always seen in the crowd. Hopefully, in a few years, the Breakers will get their own ‘wave’ type mascot, who will roam around the Coliseum with Hook.

Neighborhood   5

Hockey, beaches, and casinos – Biloxi offers a mix you won’t find in many hockey towns. This small coastal city is known for its world-class casino scene and legendary seafood. Though Biloxi was wiped off the map by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the city has rebuilt and reinvented itself, earning back its nickname “Vegas of the South.” Today, the Coast has 10 casinos, each with its own personality, making the Coast and Biloxi a popular destination for travelers across the Southeast looking for a lively but affordable getaway.

Mississippi Coast Coliseum sits just a few miles from Casino Row, and because Biloxi is so close together, that’s only about a 10 to 15-minute drive. Even better, the arena is less than 100 yards from the beach; close enough to walk over from the shoreline and be inside for puck drop within minutes. And while the Mississippi Sound’s waters aren’t quite as clear as those along Florida or Alabama’s Gulf Coast, the area still offers plenty to do – boat rides to the barrier islands, excellent fishing, and wide sandy beaches perfect for a pregame stroll.

Directly across from the coliseum is Beauvoir, the beautifully maintained final home of Jefferson Davis. Built in 1848, the estate sits on 52 scenic acres that include a museum, cemetery, and veterans’ home. Every October, the grounds host a large Civil War reenactment that draws visitors from across the region.

Just down the road stands another Biloxi landmark, the Biloxi Lighthouse. Erected in 1847, it remains one of the city’s most recognizable symbols and is open for daily tours. Along with these historical treasures, Biloxi boasts a diverse dining scene, from upscale steak and seafood houses inside the casinos to casual beachfront eateries and locally loved seafood spots throughout downtown and the coast.

Biloxi doesn’t have a large number of traditional chain hotels, as most of the lodging options are tied to the casinos or the upscale beachfront hotels. If you’re looking for budget-friendly accommodations, however, head just north to D'Iberville, located right off I-10; it offers several familiar chains and lower-cost options, while still keeping you close to the Coast.

Fans   3

In their final season, the Sea Wolves averaged around 2,100 fans per game, ranking 9th in the FPHL. Years of losing, constant roster changes, and front-office issues clearly took a toll. With the arrival of the Biloxi Breakers, however, the franchise finally gets a reset, and early signs point toward improvement. New sponsors now line the boards, including local casinos and Beauvoir, and the team’s weekly YouTube show is even filmed at the Hard Rock Casino, giving the organization a more polished feel.

Breakers games attract a wide mix of fans: local families, military members, casino visitors, snowbirds, and longtime supporters wearing everything from old Sea Wolves jerseys to throwbacks from former I-10 ECHL teams like the Pensacola Ice Pilots (now Ice Flyers), Mobile Mysticks, Jackson Bandits, New Orleans Brass, and Baton Rouge Kingfish. NHL jerseys are common too, showing the crowd’s genuine knowledge of the sport.  The Coliseum also blocks the upper level off for Breakers games, forcing the fans to sit in the lower bowl; that’s something they did not do for Sea Wolves games.

The in-game experience is solid. Danger, the emcee, keeps the crowd engaged with contests like hockey cornhole, trivia, and finish-the-lyric challenges. During a recent game, a Breakers player recorded a hat trick, and fans continued the tradition of tossing hats onto the ice. With a stronger roster and more stability than the final Sea Wolves teams, the Breakers appear to be heading in a positive direction, both on the ice and in the stands.

Access   3

Biloxi is kind of off the beaten path, about an hour and a half east of New Orleans and about an hour west of Mobile. The Coliseum is located on Beach Blvd/Highway 90, about 8 miles south of the interstate. Navigating the side roads from the interstate to the beach can be kind of confusing, not to mention the closer to the beach you get, the worse the traffic will get.

The best exit for the arena would be to take Cedar Lake Road at Exit 44, then travel south for about 8 miles until you hit Pass Road, one of the main roads through Biloxi. Pass Road runs east and west and will often have traffic congestion and road work going on – from there, turn south onto Beauvoir Road, and the Coliseum sits to the right.

You could also take the scenic route on Highway 90/Beach Blvd; this route runs east and west over 50 miles through eight small coastal beach towns, with Biloxi located right in the middle. This highway runs along the beach, and on the way, you’ll pass casinos, seafood restaurants, small towns, and historic sights; I recommend this route if you have a lot of time.

Parking can be kind of hectic when there is an event going on at the convention center attached to the Coliseum. There is plenty of parking around the property and even a parking garage, but the grounds are huge, so you may have to walk a bit if you park in the back lots, if there is another event going on next door.

Return on Investment   3

Tickets are easy to come by for Breakers games and are a great bargain – seating is separated into two sections: the lower bowl, plus four rows of removable bleachers in front of the seating bowl. All the tickets to sit in the lower bowl are general admission, priced at $19 each.

Concession prices are kind of high, but in today’s day and age, concessions at arenas are always high. However, factoring in the great views from anywhere in the Coliseum and the Breakers always putting on an enjoyable experience, I consider this a great return on investment.

You are also getting to see the only professional hockey team in the state of Mississippi.  Few places offer the chance to stroll along the beach in 70-degree winter weather and be inside watching hockey less than ten minutes later, but that’s exactly what you can do at most Breakers games.

Extras   4

One extra for the Breakers, keeping a bit of Sea Wolves legacy alive – they’ve brought back Hook, the original mascot from the team’s earlier era.

Mississippi Coast Coliseum is also stepping into the college hockey scene in 2025, as the home rink of the Tulane Men’s Club Hockey Team; with no dedicated ice facility in New Orleans, Tulane now plays its home games in Biloxi. In fact, just a few days before the Breakers game I most recently attended, Tulane faced off against the LSU Club Hockey Team on this very ice.

A local nonprofit, New Orleans Hockey, has been instrumental in growing the sport across the Gulf Coast by organizing pickup games and operating the Gulf Coast Hockey League, a full-service amateur league that also calls the Coliseum home. Together, these efforts are strengthening hockey’s presence in both the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the New Orleans region, momentum that could eventually help bring a professional team to New Orleans.

If you’re interested in ghosts and the paranormal, then the Mississippi Coast Coliseum is supposedly haunted. The Coliseum is less than 50 years old, but it was built on the site of an old orphanage that was located here in the 1940s; before that, it was part of the property of Beauvoir next door. That fact, factored into the cemetery located right off the property, has only increased ghost sightings even more on the grounds of the Coliseum.

In fact, in 2022, the Sci-Fi Channel’s Ghost Hunters even visited the Coliseum and found tons of evidence supporting the claims that it is haunted; the convention center and the south side of the building are the parts of the building with the most activity, so be on the lookout for ghosts if you attend a Breakers game.

Mississippi Coast Coliseum has also been the Coast’s premiere indoor entertainment venue for many years, as it is the largest indoor multi-purpose venue in Mississippi south of Jackson. The venue has hosted a ton of events over the years, including postseason conference basketball tournaments, WWE and WCW events, NBA preseason games, and an indoor football and soccer team, as well as concerts such as Guns N’ Roses, Allman Brothers, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, Ray Charles, Aerosmith, Elton John, Johnny Cash, and Kiss.

Another extra just for how far this region has come since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. With the Biloxi Shuckers playing in a beautiful ballpark downtown and hockey returning to the Coast, Biloxi is becoming a minor-league sports destination on top of already being a top-notch entertainment destination, despite being a small town with less than 50,000 people. It’s been interesting watching the city return to its former glory compared to how this place looked 20 years ago.