ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) - Friday will be a big night for First Arena and Elmira College as the EC men's team gets set to take the ice at First Arena for a nationally ranked matchup against Hobart, and the women will compete at the arena next Saturday afternoon.

WENY Sports caught up with President of Mammoth Sports and Entertainment, Steve Donner, and he provided an inside look at some of the improvements made to the arena so far.

Donner tells WENY that every bathroom has new equipment including new toilets and faucets. Electricians have been throughout the building fixing lights and making things brighter and safer. The upstairs restaurant has also been remodeled with new floors and new colors on the walls and ceiling. Additionally, the upstairs kitchen is getting completely redone. Donner says the kitchen won't be ready for Friday, but moving forward, they'll be able to serve customers with a catering kitchen. The scoreboard is repaired and 100% operational, and they have overhauled the outdoor marquee. Donner also says new branding is underway. The previous green colors throughout the building are being changed to purple and will match the seats inside the arena. The floors at First Arena were also getting steam cleaned on Tuesday afternoon.

Not only is Friday's hockey matchup a nationally ranked clash, but it will be Forever2Six Night to honor the life of Billy Lowe. Elmira College Athletics announced that Donate Life will have a booth at the arena where attendees can sign up for organ donation, and fans will have the opportunity to purchase Forever2Six t-shirts with proceeds directly benefiting the Forever2Six Fund.

"It's an honor, it's an honor to have our first major event at Elmira College here, especially in a year where both the men's and women's teams are having such great seasons nationally ranked, and to have Hobart coming in who is also a nationally ranked team" said Donner. "So we're trying to build a strategic partnership with Elmira College for the future, I think this is step one. At the same time, to be able to honor the Lowe family and the Forever2Six Foundation as part of this event just ties the whole thing together for a great community event."

"I'd like to welcome everyone back" he added. It's been a wintry week, so getting out of the house to come downtown I think will be fun, and I'm anxious for them to come in and see the changes to the building. So come down and see the excitement and see what's happening and hopefully, it's the start of many good things to come."

Donner also provided an update on bringing an FPHL team back to the arena, and what the current timeline is for a new team.

"Hockey will be back in the fall for sure in the FPHL" he said. "We were trying hard this year to maybe put a half-season together, but when we realized the shape of the building was really a lot worse than we anticipated, we didn't think we could serve our customers properly to try and squeeze in an abbreviated schedule for this year so we're going to take a nice long runway. We'll be announcing a new name and colors probably in mid-February and we'll be back playing hockey in the fall for sure."

Click here to view Elmira College's fan guide with more information on what you need to know if you plan to attend the upcoming games at First Arena.