Save the Manatees

SAT 11/8

The Miami Arena's (701 Arena Blvd., Miami) floor has been devoid of blue lines and a thin ice layer since Florida's Panthers took their show on the road north to Sunrise in 1998. No slap shots, high sticks, or icing calls have resonated in the hallowed arena halls since -- until now.

The Miami Manatees, a new team in the World Hockey Association 2 league, opens its inaugural 2003-04 home campaign at 7:05 p.m. Saturday, when they take on the Macon Trax.

Zac Boyer will lead the Manatees, entering his first year as the full-time head coach of a hockey squad. He won a WHA2 championship last season with Orlando as a player-coach and in his ten-year career had stops in Houston and Indianapolis and in Dallas with the NHL's Stars.

Boyer's goals for the upcoming season are nothing short of excellence. "My goal is to win a championship," he says. "I've won three in my career, and I won't accept losing in Miami."

When asked who the star players on this team are, Boyer noted that center Tom Perry and goalie Mark Scally should serve as leaders on an otherwise-young Manatee roster.

Tickets range from $10 to $25, and season tickets are also available. Call 305-536-7825. -- Russ EvansThe Race Is On

No dinghies allowed

FRI 11/7The "Fountain Powerboats Super Boat International's World Championship" wraps up Sunday in Deerfield Beach. Due to Hurricane Isabel's sabotaging of the Miami National Championships two months ago, both the national and world champions get crowned this weekend. The national champion gets the nod Friday at the Main Beach Parking Lot (between SE First and Second streets along A1A, Deerfield Beach) in a ceremony that includes a performance by Alisa Reyes. But the Friday ceremony leaves a solid weekend of racing as teams vie for the world championship. Spectator admission is free, and the course starts and ends in front of the Embassy Suites Deerfield Beach Resort (950 SE 20th St., Deerfield Beach). Call 954-480-4428. -- Dan Sweeney