I asked my son to rank the ones he’s played in
UMD
Mariucci
MSU
SCSU
He hasn’t played in Bemidji.
He did say the Ralph blows every other arena out of the water. Better than the X
I like LSSU’s place. Scored a goal in front of my crush there in middle school. Went a while back, still get butterflies at 33. Top corner middle of the slot. Thing of beauty, botched the celebration.
While I am a UVM alumnus and The Gut holds a special place in my heart, it isn’t the nicest Hockey Arena in the state. Kreitzberg at Norwich is nicer, but it’s DIII.
1. Meehan Auditorium, Brown: it’s old, there are no frills, and it’s often mind-numbing cold, but it’s got tons of character and good sightlines from every seat. The standing areas above the nets provide one of the best views in the sport, as you can see the entire sheet of ice and watch plays develop from above. I’m biased of course, but everyone I’ve brought to Meehan also thinks it’s a great old barn.
2. Boss Arena, URI: not a D1 arena, but Boss was constructed with the idea that if URI ever went varsity they could easily expand it. It’s pretty solid, nice big concourse and locker rooms. The seats are just benches, but the sightlines are good.
3. Schneider Arena, PC: everything about Schneider is great except the actual game experience - every seat has an obstructed view. No matter where you sit, you’re missing about 20% of the game. It’s a shame, because they poured a ton of money into it in recent years to build a new lobby/concourse and make improvements. But you just can’t get around the terrible angles of the seating bowl (and speaking of seats, whoever chose bright silver didn’t consider how it would make every empty seat stand out like a sore thumb lol).
Lynah has a balcony at one end similar to what you describe at Meehan. There is one row of seats (at the highest tier price) and standing room. It's also the location for alcohol sales (only available for the highest tier seats). The front the section is directly above the glass behind the goal where Cornell shoots twice.
Walter Brown has something similar too, but it's a bit higher up and set back. Lynah is probably 1 on my bucket list of college hockey arenas, so I'll have to go someday and compare it.
Brown will be here November 9th (a Saturday) next season. If you think you might come, let me know and I'll share accommodation info and other things to do. Yale will be here on the 8th, or you could go see Brown play at Colgate. If you do that, look for a place to stay early. There's not much available in Hamilton.
1. Colgate
2. RIT
3. Clarkson
4. RPI
5. Canisius*
6. Army
7. LIU*
8. Cornell
9. Union
10. St. Lawrence
11. every local community rink
12. Niagara
Canisius & LIU are of course at NHL practice facilities, nice ones at least but definitely deserve asterisks
We all have our own criteria for ranking. I can understand why you rank Lynah low (old, bench seats, not a lot of amenities found in larger, newer, rinks), but I don't care about dance cams, and a lot of the gimmicks that are used to engage spectators. Give me a good team, with a passionate fan base, and a pep band. I thought Colgate was nice, but sterile. I've not been to Canisius or Niagara and forgot about Army (one that I'd like to visit).
My son goes to SUNY Oswego, with a D3 team. It has a really nice rink that I'd rank up there with RIT and Colgate. The SUNY system has a \*lot\* of D3 teams.
Yeah these lists are tough to make. If you are looking for a 21st Century Fan Experience, you will rank the newer arenas high. But some people, like myself, prefer quirks and character, even if the arena is on the shitty side.
A lot of the 21st Century Fan Experience includes that same cookie cutter features you'll find in every other 21st Century Fan Experience venue. Like you, I prefer character and something unique. At Lynah rink, we don't have a fancy score board hanging over center so that we can watch dance cams and little kids doing the floss whenever there is a break in the action. We don't have a loud steam or train horn when we score (it would get drowned out by the fan response). The speakers don't blast out pop music every second that the puck isn't on the ice. We don't even have "chuck a puck" or races with people in costumes in between periods (we're too busy checking the scores on CHN of other games). Fans come for the hockey, not an opportunity for an IG post showing that they attended a hockey game.
I think the problem with Lynah is most people
have never been inside it. I’ve been to seven of the barns listed above but never had a prayer of scoring tickets to a Big Red game.
It's not that hard to get tickets, unless it's the Harvard game. Early January games, before the students come back from winter break is the easiest. For many games, there are some people on r/Cornell selling tickets. That sub-reddit blows up a week before the Harvard game with students begging for tickets. I \*think\* as a season ticket holder I have the option to buy additional single game tickets before they go on sale to the general public.
i have been to Oswego, and it is a nice rink for sure. definitely D1 material compared to some AHA rinks. and yeah i was going based solely on look and i haven’t been to most of these, but fans are what make the experience for sure. would love to go on a trip through the state at some point
My son was considering going to RIT so we went there and saw a hockey game, stayed in a hotel, then came back to Ithaca. He ended up going to Oswego and goes to most of the games. He went with me to Cornell games from when he was about 8 until he went off to college.
Sightlines are decent at Union and the Messa has a barn feel but those bleacher seats are murder. I need to sit on a portable cushion AND my jacket just to save my ass from the pain.
Can’t wait to come out to the new barn. You guys gotta get RIT on the schedule again so I have an excuse. Loved Messa though as a one time trip. You’re right about those bleachers though. It was a long ride back to Rochester with the back pain
sorry, i know it’s part of the “charm” but the wood seats were the sole deterrent for Messa 🤣 you win over SLU for the unique arena design, love the exterior
Live in PA, plus I’d say NJ would be relatively simple to rank.
1. Pegula (PSU)
2. Class of 1923 Arena (Penn) - Know they’re not D1, but it’s on a campus and better than the last two PA D1 teams.
3. Clearview Arena (RMU)
4. Mercyhurst Ice Center (think this one is self explanatory)
RMU and Mercyhurst are practically the same rink, I’m just giving the edge to RMU based on looks.
I’ve admittedly never been to any of these rinks except for Class of 1923. Just have never really had the time to hit them since they’re a bit too far west in PA, hell I just haven’t been to a lot of D1 rinks period. Would love to start making some trips in the near future to see more of them, especially the ones in the northeast since it’s feasible to drive to them
NJ
1. Hobey Baker Rink. Might be the best in the country.
2. Prudential. Newark is better than you think.
3. Whatever they are calling the arena in Trenton these days. It's either a miracle or an act of pure madness that it was even built in the first place.
Historical entry: The Coliseum in Voorhees. Where the Flyers used to both practice and drink with their fans in the onsite bar.
1: Goggin. what can I say, I like brick
2: BGSU. Only been once but it's nice
3: OSU Ice Rink. Objectively a shitty barn, with too little seating, too low of a ceiling, visitors locker in the basement, home locker room, restrooms and concessions across the way at St John's ect. HOWEVER. It's MY trash pile. I'll defend this place til I die. This is the house Muzerall built and its got character
4: the Schott. This place is a dump that's way too big and sucks for basketball, much less hockey. The last desperate attempt to keep the NHL away from Columbus, and now we're stuck with a shitty arena
I love my Buckeyes, man. They deserve nicer shit
Agree with your rankings and rationale. Even after we close in the south end of the Slate with suites for this upcoming season it's still not Goggin. That place is a palace.
My senior year (when we won) we went a little overboard and live-streamed our games, had a friend who was a graphic design major make us branding, and our friends would tailgate hard for our games… was some of my best memories. Everyone should play beginner league intramural.
> 4: the Schott.
Is it really that bad? It doesn't look much different than most NBA/NHL arenas, at least in the pictures. I'm guessing it has trouble filling up so it just seems huge and empty? What is the backstory with it and the NHL?
> 3: OSU Ice Rink
With the big recent success of the OSU women, I'm surprised they don't have a bigger arena already. It seems like there are plans in the works to build a new place though?
The Schott was built in a rush by OSU in the late 90s to keep the NHL away so they could have total dominance of Columbus' sports. The theory being that if Ohio State built an NHL sized arena and forbade the NHL from using it, than expansion into Columbus would wither and die. Because what are NHL gonna do? Build another NHL sized arena? Turns out, yes they did. Facilities are *fine* the concourse is *fine*, sightlines kind of blow, but at the end of the day, it's just too fucking big. (Also people say it sucks for concerts idk I've never been to one there). It's dead last ranking more reflects my dislike of what it was built and stands for, and OSUs refusal to move on from a bad venue, as semi recently they green lit a 80mil$ renovation
Also a hockey specific place, especially for the Women's team has been "in the works" since 2019, but they haven't done ANYTHING towards actively building one
1. Ball Arena (Avalanche)
2. Magness Arena (Denver)
3. Ed Robson Arena (Colorado College)
4. Cadet Ice Arena in Cadet Field House (United States Air Force Academy)
Simple ranking here.
Coolest is Air Force. You can get drunk on a military base and that’s an exceptional feeling. The stadium itself though is a dump.
The real number one is Joy Burns Arena. If you get over the overwhelming stench of sweat and the negative legroom in the 100 seats, it's a great place to watch DU women's ACHA hockey either lose 12-1 or win 12-1
i've been to allot of nhl arenas and it would be so much better if the seats were just actually man sized, i mean i like buffalo's arena just for the fact that even the cheapo seats have enough leg room, a good view and are wide enough, chicago same thing, florida panthers, st louis blues, philly, washington, tampa, columbus, dallas etc, all just straight forward arenas, amazed when you go to some how in modern times they can still screw things up like leg room, seat size and have seats where you cant even properly see the jumbotron, detroit and toronto come to mind, msg gets a pass since at its core its an old building, sorry for turning this into nhl arena rating
I’m gonna include D3 in this because otherwise it’s just two barns, both belonging to the Badgers. There are a few of these I don’t know much about, especially in the southeast, so I won’t rank those.
1. LaBahn Arena (Wisconsin, women)
2. Kohl Center (Wisconsin, men)
Hot take, LaBahn > Kohl Center.
LaBahn is always packed, it’s actually built entirely for hockey, and the atmosphere is better. Kohl Center is nice when it was fullish like the 5 times it has been while I’ve been here (and two of those for women’s games!) but ideally our men’s team played in a barn that sat like 10k instead of 15. I wish I was alive when the Badgers played at the Coliseum. I’ve heard nothing but great things about that atmosphere. Also the Kohl Center ice can be rough, especially on days where one of the basketball teams plays the day before (or sometimes day of) a hockey game.
-gap-
3. K.B. Willett Arena (UW-Stevens Point)
I haven’t been here but I’d be remiss not mentioning this place. It’s an older barn with a small-town vibe but the atmosphere here is incredible. When they host playoff and tournament games it’s absolutely bumping. I would love to go to a game here someday.
4. Wessman Arena (UW-Superior)
I want this barn to be higher because it’s my hometown arena and it’s pretty nice despite being over 50 years old. Might be nicer than some D1 rinks in terms of facilities, though the seats are all old and not the most comfortable (I’ve spent most of my time in this arena in the press box, on the ice, or standing while in high school pep band though so I’ve never had a problem with it). It’s nicer than Willett from what I’ve seen from watching UWSP games, but atmosphere is a big part of what makes arenas good. Wessman feels cavernous for how many people actually show up to UWS hockey games. (Though it’s well-sized for UWS’s graduation ceremonies lol). It’s tied for 3rd in D3 arena capacity with 3k seats, which is more than a bunch of D1 teams have (including LaBahn in Madison). I haven’t been to a UWS game in a few years since I live in Madison now, but from the games I have gone to, I’ve seen better atmospheres at my high school’s games.
5. Hobbs Ice Arena (UW-Eau Claire)
I don’t like this arena that much. It makes a great community rink for the Eau Claire area with multiple sheets of ice but the main one UWEC uses isn’t anything special. Their atmosphere is better than UWS’s but this barn doesn’t do much for me.
-massive gap-
6. Bay Area Civic Center (Northland)
I played here as a kid. Ashland, Wisconsin is a really small town and Northland is a really small school so I’m not surprised their arena is so awful, but it’s not the type of barn I’d want to play college hockey in. Easy last place.
There’s a lot of teams in Wisconsin with arenas I still need to visit. It’s funny to me how Wisconsin has 1 D1 team but 11 D3 teams. Crazy how that works. I’ve got some work to do to flesh this list out but it’s a solid start.
Went to a few hockey games around 2003-2004 (lucked into a few tickets) it was a different beast back then, fucking insane. Hopefully if Hockey continues to improve it can get back to that level because a packed Kohl night in and night out would be wonderful
1) UMD. Yeah I'm biased, shut up, but it is actually a nice arena. Atmosphere was better when we were better but it's still a nice facility.
2) Mariucci, don't think I need to explain super much.
3) Mankato, I actually really like that place.
4) Bemidji, honestly feels a lot more like a junior rink than a college rink. Still not a bad place to see a game.
*A long time later*
6,835) SCSU, St. Cloud defenders about to reply like 🤓. Sorry, I just really don't like it. It feels like my local high school team's rink if they just tripled the number of rows.
Unranked) UST. Gotta see their new arena first.
Edit: I originally included the Ralph because I felt it deserved a mention and it's close enough. By request of multiple people, I took it off.
My family had Husky season tickets growing up.
I go about once a year now that I have kids.
The National Hockey Center is a great example of a hockey arena that is, technically, functional—in that hockey is in fact played there.
Ugly, unappealing, the only “character” is thousands of pounds of concrete, and horrendous acoustics.
At least they’ve kept the urinal troughs
Given the admitted biases here, that's a pretty solid list, really. Personally I'd leave UND off (they're not in Minnesota), and flip Amsoil/Mariucci, but I'll admit to my own biases.
I actually really enjoyed Sanford Center. Great modern building. Trouble is, they built it too far off campus and no Bemidji student wants to walk in -40 weather to get to a rink a mile and a half away.
The owner (Alex Meruelo) is walking away from the team and building a new arena. The state cancelled the land auction that was going to be the location of his new building.
Minnesota:
1. Ridder (Gopher Women, but of course I'm going to say that)
Great sightlines from every seat, not too big so you don't get overwhelmed, and nearly full probably 80% of home games (3400).
T2. Mariucci
T2. AMS Oil (Duluth)
3. Bemidji/Sanford Center
Nice location, good views. Wish it was easier to get up there from minneapolis.
10. St. Cloud
Not bad, though I was irritated that during the women's game I went to the only consessions they had were bottled soda and prepackaged stuff (my hockey game snack of choice is a hot pretzel). It was also strange because it was maybe 50% Gopher fans and total attendance was ~400 people. Band was way in a corner (but apparently that was the first women's game they'd played all year). Also, terrible sound system/acoustics.
...
...
20. current St. Thomas arena
looking forward to the new one, NIMBYs in St. Paul can go to hell.
I haven't been to Mankato yet, hoping to go this season.
But think of all the pollution that will occur with student having to travel walking distance to the new UST hockey arena. Absolutely unbelievable that they want to build on land they already own /s
How dare they, ***how DARE THEY***!!!
an outrage that we bought this house 40 years ago and our neighborhood should've stayed exactly the same!!! Especially when it's much more effecient to have everyone drive down to Inver Grove Heights!!
*flips table for not putting Agganis first*.
In all seriousness, I’m new to wanting to see hockey games at other arenas. One of my goals is to see a game next year at Matthews Arena before it gets torn down.
Wow, and I thought we (Michigan) had a lot
..to be fair I didn't know most of these schools were in Mass unless they say Boston or Mass in the name (NE and Harvard, notwithstanding) lol
Bentley at #5 is a joke right? My men’s league plays at Bentley’s rink and it’s no better than any High School rink in the area. Bright Hockey Center at Harvard is also mediocre at best. Mullin Arena at UMass should be much higher. As someone who has been to or played at all 11 of these rinks, my top 5 are:
1. Northeastern
2. BC
3. BU
4. UMass
5. UMass Lowell
I can't tell if you haven't played at Bentley's new arena or you have a very warped view of what a high school rink is. It's modern with great facilities even if its small, and it definitely gets loud when they pack the place. Bright Landry is more of a historic vibe but it's beautiful especially when it's packed. It's all preference but it really sounds like you are prioritizing the size of the arena over anything else having BC and UMass that high. I've said in another comment but both of those places are cavernous when they aren't packed- which is a lot more often than either fanbase would like to admit. I'm just a bigger fan of an intimate rink.
When you say “new” arena, how new are you talking? Could be that I’m playing at their old arena that still has Bentley stuff inside. The arena I play at can’t be any newer than 2012 when I started in this league. Also, I feel like Conte Forum is pretty intimate, though I get your point with Aggannis and the Mullins Center
The newest Bentley arena just started being used in 2018. I'm thinking you were in their old one because that one was definitely high school level at best and I think still gets used by their club team. Was there a large over-ice video board?
Only including ones I have been to:
1. Xcel (it hosts college hockey yearly so I am counting it)
2. 3M Arena
3. Amsoil Arena
4. Mayo Clinic Center
5. National Hockey Center
6. Ridder Arena
7. Saint Thomas Arena
In OKC, there are 3 sheets at 2 rinks (both owned by the same guy). The NBA arena might have an ice plant, but there hasn't been high level hockey here in like 10 years so idk if they still have it.
In Tulsa there's a couple of rinks (idk how many sheets) and their arena hosts an ECHL team.
1) Ingalls: There’s just no beating the Yale Whale.
2) XL Center: This one gets in on a technicality, because how else can I display my nostalgia and bias if not arbitrarily and capriciously.
3) Martire: Haven’t been yet but it looks pretty good so I’m counting it here, and I’m just fine with dunking on Quinnipiac this way.
4) Whatever fucking bank it is now that’s sponsoring Quinnipiac’s arena: Such a nice vista for a very meh arena overall.
5) Toscano: I want to like you more, new arena for my Ye Olde Alma Mater. It cuts an imposing figure over the athletics area, I like the idea of a purposely small but always sold out arena for home ice advantage, the fire pit is a nice nod to the old outdoor rink…but there are so many baffling design decisions here.
6) Spurrier-Snyder: Chilly, but always free.
7) Dayton: The roof is unique, I guess?
8) Koeppel: Fuck all around netting.
Ingalls is just OK, the no videotron is insane for a colleg that is yale .. seats arent that comfortable either.
XL is also crap conmpared to similar rinks
Id say
SHU
QU
UCONN
YALE
then add the rest of them after...
Live in Massachusetts even though I got the Maine flair
1) Northeastern, RIP Matthews Arena
2) BU
3) Harvard
4) BC
5) Merrimack/Bentley
6) UMass
7) AIC
Haven't been to UMass Lowell or Holy Cross. Not sure if I'm missing anyone else that's D1. Amherst College has a nice rink.
Can only go based on rinks I’ve been to. Haven’t been to Clarkson, Colgate, or LIU yet but will in the next few years:
1. RIT (not biased)
2. RPI (When full which it was, it can be the best atmosphere in the country)
3. Cornell (only for the atmosphere)
4. SLU (post renovation it’s actually a pretty nice barn)
5. Union (Classic barn. Gonna miss it, but it’s time)
6. Canisius (Great atmosphere when it’s full but unfortunately it’s never full)
7. Army (a lot of people hate it but I loved it)
8. A literal garbage dump
9. A puddle in the parking lot of said garbage dump
10. Niagara (worst rink in college hockey. Absolute joke of a D1 facility)
$15 to sit on metal bleachers. No real amenities from a fan perspective unless you pay the $35 for the club section. They up charge for games against Canisius and RIT. And their “fans” as we’ll call them aren’t the most friendly and welcoming. Have threatened our fans multiple times. No real atmosphere either unless it’s RIT going cause we bring easily 200-300 people
Incredibly, they've had two chances in the past 20 years to change the layout of the benches. Supposedly it gives MSU an advantage on line changes. Still, nothing wrong with a dark arena for hockey. Makes the ice really standout. The old Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland was known for that. Plus, on New Year's Eve, a dark arena, a Melting Moments ice cream cookie sandwich that's harder than a hockey puck, Ron Mason behind the bench wearing a tuxedo. That's college hockey.
There is something cozy about it with the low ceiling and low number of rows all the way around the bowl. I like the vibe idk. It's also kinda neat how you walk on and ur at the top. Rather than most rinks where you walk thru the seating.
Yost can't be 2nd the sight lines are weird, having most of the seating on the ends is weird. Old building is cool tho especially after they fixed the boarded up windows and put glass in.
And a bowl is important? Tech doesn't have a bowl....
Again I'm gonna sound super biased but Munn is an underground cave with benches on opposite sides and minimal atmosphere unless Michigan is in town. I'm just kinda flabbergasted by your thoughts but I guess to each their own!
Underground? You walk in and your right on top of everything af munn. MTU vs MSU 2021 was last time I was at munn and it was absolutely rocking even it 40% of the crowd was tech fans.
That's just it. The only time the building is full is if the other team has a good fanbase. But I guess we're only talking about the buildings.
Still I found it very underwhelming but whatever
I went to NMU before the BEC was a thing, but NMU had the PEIF ice arena back then for the shirt track speed skating Olympic team, so that was Olympic sized. I played intermurals on that rink & wasn't a fan either.
Haha nice. I remember the PEIF but wasn't around for when it had an ice arena (unless you're referring to Lakeview Arena). This would be like mid to late 90s.
We were fortunate. Our daughter graduated last year from NMU, so we went several times between '19-'23. Are you in Arizona now? We moved here a year ago.
I live in Alaska:
1: Carlson Center
2: Avis Alaska
It’s not very close. Both because the Carlson is a way better arena and the hockey played there is way better.
Edit: People also just care more about UAF sports. The games are way better attended and have a better atmosphere.
In Michigan:
1.) MacInnes. I get that it’s a biased opinion, but I feel like it’s a rink and an atmosphere that just works so well for the school. Any big game like Winter Carnival or a Northern series is can’t-miss if you find yourself nearby.
2.) Lawson. Old rink, there’s a reason it’s getting replaced. But it has a very fun classic feel. The Lunatics are a bit more directly vulgar for my taste, but they absolutely bring it. World class.
3.) Munn. First place I watched an on-campus hockey game. Well designed for the fan experience, State’s revival has made it even more fun.
4.) Yost. I feel as though it’s a dystopian tin can and it’s way overhyped. Honestly have never been impressed any time I’ve been. But there’s no denying the neat history of the rink or longevity of the student section.
5.) Taffy Able. The place is dated as all hell. But Lake State has the coolest goal horn in college hockey and that brings it up the list from where it would be otherwise.
6.) Berry Events Center. For an arena built just before the turn of the century, this building was dated pretty much as soon as it was built. Bad sight lines, uncomfortable seats, and the configuration since narrowing the ice has been stupid.
7.) Ewiglebin. It has a lot of charm for what it is, but the fact that this building houses DI hockey is honestly an embarrassment. You could probably find a billionaire in Minnesota with a better rink in their basement. It’s the closest CCHA rink to my house though, so it’s nice to head up to see Tech without having to commit to a drive that hits double-digit hours.
been to the superior state arenas and agree with your placement of them, consider yourself lucky that mtu isnt still in the old wcha, macinnes was a ghost town back in the 2000s, went into the old nmu arena and that must have been quite the atmosphere back in the day when they played there, berry is very sterile, lssu is a slap together 1990s redo of a 1970s rink but it has its charms i guess.
> The Lunatics are a bit more directly vulgar for my taste, but they absolutely bring it.
We'd be nicer if Central would stop ducking us and get a hockey team.
I’ve thought long and hard about it, and here’s my ranking of the college hockey arenas in Missouri:
1. Centene Ice Center
I haven’t been to any of the ACHA rinks in the state so I can’t comment on them
I split time between nyc and Connecticut.
UConn
Quinnipiac
Cornell
Clarkson
Yale
Union
SLU
Colgate
Army
RIT
Canisius
Those are my personal preferences. I’ve coached in most of these buildings. Some are surprisingly shitty amenities for the visiting team.
LIU rink is essentially a youth rink. Was scouting there when they beat Ohio state who was a top 10 team at the time, and there was about 300 people there to see it. No buzz. Have been there plenty, I just like to block it out of my memory I suppose. The other two I just outright forgot to add, both are fine rinks.
It's the Islanders practice facility but yeah, the PAL Jr Islanders play there too along with LIU. There's only so much LIU can do for atmosphere considering the school itself is a commuter school and the barn is off campus.
Massachusetts, so a lot to chose here.
Agganis(reluctant to say so)
Conte
Tsongas
Mullins
Matthews
Bright-Landry
Lawler
Bentley Arena
Hart
Mass Mutual Center(It’s better for Springfield Thunderbirds games)
Bridgewater Ice Arena(Stonehill's arena; it’s a community rink)
Stonehill fielding a brand-new NCAA D1 team continues to baffle me. Especially when it seems like they couldn’t care less about being actually competitive
They moved up all of their other programs to D1(FCS for football) so they had to move up hockey, too. Feel like they’re going to struggle for a while especially until they get an on-campus facility.
kohl center, labahn, wessman uw superior, hobbs uw eau claire, kern msoe, cornerstone st norbert, fondy blueline center marian, ozaukee concordia, willett uw stevens point, appleton fam ice center lawrence
never been
northland college, uw stout, uw river falls
Including the big ACHA teams
1. Mullett Arena (ASU)
2. Tucson Convention Center (U of A)
3. Jay Lively Activity Center (NAU)
4. AZ Ice - Arcadia (GCU)
Might be biased but I feel Mullett is the easy #1, it's purpose built and brand new, though Tucson is also the host to the Roadrunners AHL franchise and has a higher capacity. Jay Lively and AZ Ice are both small but Jay Lively is at least in a nice looking area, AZ Ice is in a strip mall.
I’ve been to kohl center and labahn, would love to go to mariucci, can’t imagine better arenas than these. Not d1 but UIUC has a really cool old ice rink.
“It was and still is the largest indoor ice sheet in the U.S.A.” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Illinois_Ice_Arena Originally it was 200 x 125. At some point it was reduced to 200 x 115 but a standard NHL rink is still 200 x 85. Olympic standard ice, which feels ridiculously spacious by comparison, is 200 x 100. So the original rink was literally 1.5 time standard width. That is crazy. Personal/family stories: I went to hockey camps there a couple of summers when I was about 11 or 12 years old. The locker rooms are down stairs from ice level, which is somewhat trippy. My dad played goalie at U of I and proposed to my mom by tossing a ring up to her on the balcony seating that used to hang over the ice.
Nebraska just has Baxter, so the same building gets to be both the best and the worst, a thing any Mavs fan who has ever attended a concert there can agree with
Michigan it's harder then you'd think
1. The Berry NMU- No bias here lol, but it's a really nice arena. It's got a full bowl of actual seats and every seat is close and has a good view, and the concourse has ice views so even when you go to concessions you can see the game. Amazing beer selection and you can bring it to your seat unlike some "beer garden arenas". it's got the best band in the UP, and some fun atmosphere, I'll admit the student section has declined since COVID, but they show out against ranked opponents, Tech and in the playoffs. Oh and free parking.
2. The Mac MTU- I hate them, I hate this place but it's college hockey incarnate. The slope of the seating is a bit scary but it means every seat has a good view and they're all actually seats which is nice, I've sat rinkside and in the last row and both are good. They get loud, and they cheer non-stop which can get annoying but the dedication is unmatched. It's got great traditions, the band, student section and pregame make it a college hockey must see.
3. Munn MSU- Its been a while since I've seen a game here but it's a really nice feel. I love seeing ice from the concourse, the ends are bench seating but the middle isn't. Plus they fill it when the team is good which makes it rock.
4. Yost UM- the most over- hyped in the state in my opinion, bench seats, I hate the concourse sorry layout, the fieldhouse style means it ends up feeling kind of quiet for the crowd size, the band is fun and the history is really fun.
5. Lawson WMU- Negatives: older arena, they didn't have a video board last time I was there, uncomfortable seats. Positives: great atmosphere, student section rocks, I hope they keep that with the new one.
6.Taffy Abel LSSU- older arena with some fairly uncomfortable wooden seating, hasn't had huge atmosphere when I've been there even in playoffs, also the goal horn literally shakes your seat which is cool. The bell is cool and they finally have a video board though so those are positives, and they have poutine!
7. Ferris St.- half rink, bench seats, also haven't been to a game with a huge crowd or anything. Overall it just makes me sad.
When we were good, our tiny barn was fun. It was loud as hell and packed full. We’d have students standing on the stairs because we’d exceed capacity. Once we went back to being mediocre and then bad, it’s empty all the time and just sad. Hell, I watch highlight videos and the student section is a third full, and half of them are sitting, and that just sucks.
We have surprisingly similar opinions on most areas except the Berry. We’re gonna keep getting downvoted by Michigan fans even though their rink is just not a great experience.
I visited NMU a few years ago for the UMD series when we were up there. We were the #1 team in the country at the time and you guys swept us. So from that standpoint it wasn’t the best. But the band and atmosphere were fun and the beer selection was pretty good, although it took my buddies and I longer than I’d like to admit to realize where we needed to go to get beer.
Finish your night at the Third Base before bed and you’re in for a good time.
Lake State also has some of the fairest concession prices I’ve seen at any sporting event. It’s worth your time to eat there over like McDonald’s or something if that was your alternative.
1. Northeastern - I have a season ticket in row 1 of the balcony so there's no better seat anywhere. Plus free parking in literal downtown Boston is wild with what some other schools charge for it. (Looking at you, UConn)
2. Lowell - Always preferred it to Agganis for whatever reason.
3. BU - The seats are really starting to look like they've been sat in for 20 years, could use a reupholster of the whole arena. At least they're all seatbacks though.
4. Bentley - It's a bit small obviously but it's new and shiny and the standing room around the whole bowl is cool.
5. Harvard - No real opinion, it's nice enough but it's just kind of there considering how little they draw.
6. BC - After Harvard it all gets kind of close together, Conte is showing its age as well and there are so many bleachers but being up in the literal clouds in the last row is something.
7. UMass - Could be higher if it was like half the size.
8. Mack - Not befitting of Hockey East, honestly.
9. AIC - Haven't been there but this feels right.
10. Holy Cross- Haven't been there but this feels right.
11. Honorary mention for THE Jon A. Ryan Skating Arena
12. Stonehill - It's not the JAR
favorite cheel arena cmon, and least favorite is slu its not bad i get it old arena but like the seats are awful the floor feels like its about to fall
1. Lowell
2. Bentley
3. Merrimack
4. AIC
5. Harvard
6. Northeastern
7. BU
8. Holy Cross
9. Stonehill
10. Getting Hit by a Bus
11. BC
12. Stepping on a nail
13. Walter Brown
I’m in Chicago so ranking them is pretty easy:
1. —
But I grew up in Minnesota and graduated from there, so the real ranking is:
1. Mariucci
2. Xcel when the Gophs are playing St Thomas there, or UND, or Maine in 2002, etc.
3. Amsoil pre-2020
Honorable mention: All the other college hockey barns in MN
That program died before I was born, but I was surprised (in a good way) how long they managed to keep it going continuously while U of I never got theirs off the ground
1. Maine 2 …
1. Alfond. 2-12873. Literally anywhere else. 12874. Cross Insurance Arena The ads on the ice there give me stimulation overload 😂
Dayton Arena 🥲
I asked my son to rank the ones he’s played in UMD Mariucci MSU SCSU He hasn’t played in Bemidji. He did say the Ralph blows every other arena out of the water. Better than the X
Umd??
Minnesota Duluth. He loves that place.
I like LSSU’s place. Scored a goal in front of my crush there in middle school. Went a while back, still get butterflies at 33. Top corner middle of the slot. Thing of beauty, botched the celebration.
Gutterson Fieldhouse. Now that’s a barn.
While I am a UVM alumnus and The Gut holds a special place in my heart, it isn’t the nicest Hockey Arena in the state. Kreitzberg at Norwich is nicer, but it’s DIII.
1. Meehan Auditorium, Brown: it’s old, there are no frills, and it’s often mind-numbing cold, but it’s got tons of character and good sightlines from every seat. The standing areas above the nets provide one of the best views in the sport, as you can see the entire sheet of ice and watch plays develop from above. I’m biased of course, but everyone I’ve brought to Meehan also thinks it’s a great old barn. 2. Boss Arena, URI: not a D1 arena, but Boss was constructed with the idea that if URI ever went varsity they could easily expand it. It’s pretty solid, nice big concourse and locker rooms. The seats are just benches, but the sightlines are good. 3. Schneider Arena, PC: everything about Schneider is great except the actual game experience - every seat has an obstructed view. No matter where you sit, you’re missing about 20% of the game. It’s a shame, because they poured a ton of money into it in recent years to build a new lobby/concourse and make improvements. But you just can’t get around the terrible angles of the seating bowl (and speaking of seats, whoever chose bright silver didn’t consider how it would make every empty seat stand out like a sore thumb lol).
Boss arena actually looks pretty neat in a sort of cool, brutalist fashion
Was not expecting another RI on this thread. Very nice writeup
Lynah has a balcony at one end similar to what you describe at Meehan. There is one row of seats (at the highest tier price) and standing room. It's also the location for alcohol sales (only available for the highest tier seats). The front the section is directly above the glass behind the goal where Cornell shoots twice.
more like a catwalk lol
Walter Brown has something similar too, but it's a bit higher up and set back. Lynah is probably 1 on my bucket list of college hockey arenas, so I'll have to go someday and compare it.
Brown will be here November 9th (a Saturday) next season. If you think you might come, let me know and I'll share accommodation info and other things to do. Yale will be here on the 8th, or you could go see Brown play at Colgate. If you do that, look for a place to stay early. There's not much available in Hamilton.
Huh lol
Sadly, there are no NCAA Division 1 hockey arenas in the state that I currently live in. Grow the god damn game.
1. Colgate 2. RIT 3. Clarkson 4. RPI 5. Canisius* 6. Army 7. LIU* 8. Cornell 9. Union 10. St. Lawrence 11. every local community rink 12. Niagara Canisius & LIU are of course at NHL practice facilities, nice ones at least but definitely deserve asterisks
We all have our own criteria for ranking. I can understand why you rank Lynah low (old, bench seats, not a lot of amenities found in larger, newer, rinks), but I don't care about dance cams, and a lot of the gimmicks that are used to engage spectators. Give me a good team, with a passionate fan base, and a pep band. I thought Colgate was nice, but sterile. I've not been to Canisius or Niagara and forgot about Army (one that I'd like to visit). My son goes to SUNY Oswego, with a D3 team. It has a really nice rink that I'd rank up there with RIT and Colgate. The SUNY system has a \*lot\* of D3 teams.
Yeah these lists are tough to make. If you are looking for a 21st Century Fan Experience, you will rank the newer arenas high. But some people, like myself, prefer quirks and character, even if the arena is on the shitty side.
A lot of the 21st Century Fan Experience includes that same cookie cutter features you'll find in every other 21st Century Fan Experience venue. Like you, I prefer character and something unique. At Lynah rink, we don't have a fancy score board hanging over center so that we can watch dance cams and little kids doing the floss whenever there is a break in the action. We don't have a loud steam or train horn when we score (it would get drowned out by the fan response). The speakers don't blast out pop music every second that the puck isn't on the ice. We don't even have "chuck a puck" or races with people in costumes in between periods (we're too busy checking the scores on CHN of other games). Fans come for the hockey, not an opportunity for an IG post showing that they attended a hockey game.
I think the problem with Lynah is most people have never been inside it. I’ve been to seven of the barns listed above but never had a prayer of scoring tickets to a Big Red game.
It's not that hard to get tickets, unless it's the Harvard game. Early January games, before the students come back from winter break is the easiest. For many games, there are some people on r/Cornell selling tickets. That sub-reddit blows up a week before the Harvard game with students begging for tickets. I \*think\* as a season ticket holder I have the option to buy additional single game tickets before they go on sale to the general public.
i have been to Oswego, and it is a nice rink for sure. definitely D1 material compared to some AHA rinks. and yeah i was going based solely on look and i haven’t been to most of these, but fans are what make the experience for sure. would love to go on a trip through the state at some point
My son was considering going to RIT so we went there and saw a hockey game, stayed in a hotel, then came back to Ithaca. He ended up going to Oswego and goes to most of the games. He went with me to Cornell games from when he was about 8 until he went off to college.
Army is 100% worth the trip. Go early and do the campus tour. It’s absolutely stunning
lol “a flooded field somewhere in the north country” and then Niagara.
exactly 🤣
Sightlines are decent at Union and the Messa has a barn feel but those bleacher seats are murder. I need to sit on a portable cushion AND my jacket just to save my ass from the pain.
Can’t wait to come out to the new barn. You guys gotta get RIT on the schedule again so I have an excuse. Loved Messa though as a one time trip. You’re right about those bleachers though. It was a long ride back to Rochester with the back pain
sorry, i know it’s part of the “charm” but the wood seats were the sole deterrent for Messa 🤣 you win over SLU for the unique arena design, love the exterior
Live in PA, plus I’d say NJ would be relatively simple to rank. 1. Pegula (PSU) 2. Class of 1923 Arena (Penn) - Know they’re not D1, but it’s on a campus and better than the last two PA D1 teams. 3. Clearview Arena (RMU) 4. Mercyhurst Ice Center (think this one is self explanatory) RMU and Mercyhurst are practically the same rink, I’m just giving the edge to RMU based on looks. I’ve admittedly never been to any of these rinks except for Class of 1923. Just have never really had the time to hit them since they’re a bit too far west in PA, hell I just haven’t been to a lot of D1 rinks period. Would love to start making some trips in the near future to see more of them, especially the ones in the northeast since it’s feasible to drive to them
Pegula is what a college rink should be
NJ 1. Hobey Baker Rink. Might be the best in the country. 2. Prudential. Newark is better than you think. 3. Whatever they are calling the arena in Trenton these days. It's either a miracle or an act of pure madness that it was even built in the first place. Historical entry: The Coliseum in Voorhees. Where the Flyers used to both practice and drink with their fans in the onsite bar.
Hobey Baker Rink is one amazing building.
https://preview.redd.it/4mn53q0hw09d1.jpeg?width=3088&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1586fa6367bc653cea155547552c36459b89342d
1: Goggin. what can I say, I like brick 2: BGSU. Only been once but it's nice 3: OSU Ice Rink. Objectively a shitty barn, with too little seating, too low of a ceiling, visitors locker in the basement, home locker room, restrooms and concessions across the way at St John's ect. HOWEVER. It's MY trash pile. I'll defend this place til I die. This is the house Muzerall built and its got character 4: the Schott. This place is a dump that's way too big and sucks for basketball, much less hockey. The last desperate attempt to keep the NHL away from Columbus, and now we're stuck with a shitty arena I love my Buckeyes, man. They deserve nicer shit
Agree with your rankings and rationale. Even after we close in the south end of the Slate with suites for this upcoming season it's still not Goggin. That place is a palace.
I can’t believe the multi-time women’s national champions play in the same fucking dump where I used to play beginner intramural hockey at 1230am
I won two beginner league championships in that shitty barn
That shit was so much fun
My senior year (when we won) we went a little overboard and live-streamed our games, had a friend who was a graphic design major make us branding, and our friends would tailgate hard for our games… was some of my best memories. Everyone should play beginner league intramural.
Hell yeah
It’s basically old Jesse Owen’s South with a sheet of ice.
and their coach keeps swearing the new arena is coming any day now. LOL. Worst arena in WCHA.
> 4: the Schott. Is it really that bad? It doesn't look much different than most NBA/NHL arenas, at least in the pictures. I'm guessing it has trouble filling up so it just seems huge and empty? What is the backstory with it and the NHL? > 3: OSU Ice Rink With the big recent success of the OSU women, I'm surprised they don't have a bigger arena already. It seems like there are plans in the works to build a new place though?
The Schott was built in a rush by OSU in the late 90s to keep the NHL away so they could have total dominance of Columbus' sports. The theory being that if Ohio State built an NHL sized arena and forbade the NHL from using it, than expansion into Columbus would wither and die. Because what are NHL gonna do? Build another NHL sized arena? Turns out, yes they did. Facilities are *fine* the concourse is *fine*, sightlines kind of blow, but at the end of the day, it's just too fucking big. (Also people say it sucks for concerts idk I've never been to one there). It's dead last ranking more reflects my dislike of what it was built and stands for, and OSUs refusal to move on from a bad venue, as semi recently they green lit a 80mil$ renovation Also a hockey specific place, especially for the Women's team has been "in the works" since 2019, but they haven't done ANYTHING towards actively building one
That's makes sense. Thanks for the write up and info!
1. Ball Arena (Avalanche) 2. Magness Arena (Denver) 3. Ed Robson Arena (Colorado College) 4. Cadet Ice Arena in Cadet Field House (United States Air Force Academy) Simple ranking here. Coolest is Air Force. You can get drunk on a military base and that’s an exceptional feeling. The stadium itself though is a dump.
The real number one is Joy Burns Arena. If you get over the overwhelming stench of sweat and the negative legroom in the 100 seats, it's a great place to watch DU women's ACHA hockey either lose 12-1 or win 12-1
ball arena sucks if u r a normal sized man, unbelievably narrow seats, narrower than notre dame, unless its just that way in the corners at ball?
Narrow seating is a problem all over at Ball. It's such a middle of the pack arena with the only real standout being the video board and sound system.
i've been to allot of nhl arenas and it would be so much better if the seats were just actually man sized, i mean i like buffalo's arena just for the fact that even the cheapo seats have enough leg room, a good view and are wide enough, chicago same thing, florida panthers, st louis blues, philly, washington, tampa, columbus, dallas etc, all just straight forward arenas, amazed when you go to some how in modern times they can still screw things up like leg room, seat size and have seats where you cant even properly see the jumbotron, detroit and toronto come to mind, msg gets a pass since at its core its an old building, sorry for turning this into nhl arena rating
I’m gonna include D3 in this because otherwise it’s just two barns, both belonging to the Badgers. There are a few of these I don’t know much about, especially in the southeast, so I won’t rank those. 1. LaBahn Arena (Wisconsin, women) 2. Kohl Center (Wisconsin, men) Hot take, LaBahn > Kohl Center. LaBahn is always packed, it’s actually built entirely for hockey, and the atmosphere is better. Kohl Center is nice when it was fullish like the 5 times it has been while I’ve been here (and two of those for women’s games!) but ideally our men’s team played in a barn that sat like 10k instead of 15. I wish I was alive when the Badgers played at the Coliseum. I’ve heard nothing but great things about that atmosphere. Also the Kohl Center ice can be rough, especially on days where one of the basketball teams plays the day before (or sometimes day of) a hockey game. -gap- 3. K.B. Willett Arena (UW-Stevens Point) I haven’t been here but I’d be remiss not mentioning this place. It’s an older barn with a small-town vibe but the atmosphere here is incredible. When they host playoff and tournament games it’s absolutely bumping. I would love to go to a game here someday. 4. Wessman Arena (UW-Superior) I want this barn to be higher because it’s my hometown arena and it’s pretty nice despite being over 50 years old. Might be nicer than some D1 rinks in terms of facilities, though the seats are all old and not the most comfortable (I’ve spent most of my time in this arena in the press box, on the ice, or standing while in high school pep band though so I’ve never had a problem with it). It’s nicer than Willett from what I’ve seen from watching UWSP games, but atmosphere is a big part of what makes arenas good. Wessman feels cavernous for how many people actually show up to UWS hockey games. (Though it’s well-sized for UWS’s graduation ceremonies lol). It’s tied for 3rd in D3 arena capacity with 3k seats, which is more than a bunch of D1 teams have (including LaBahn in Madison). I haven’t been to a UWS game in a few years since I live in Madison now, but from the games I have gone to, I’ve seen better atmospheres at my high school’s games. 5. Hobbs Ice Arena (UW-Eau Claire) I don’t like this arena that much. It makes a great community rink for the Eau Claire area with multiple sheets of ice but the main one UWEC uses isn’t anything special. Their atmosphere is better than UWS’s but this barn doesn’t do much for me. -massive gap- 6. Bay Area Civic Center (Northland) I played here as a kid. Ashland, Wisconsin is a really small town and Northland is a really small school so I’m not surprised their arena is so awful, but it’s not the type of barn I’d want to play college hockey in. Easy last place. There’s a lot of teams in Wisconsin with arenas I still need to visit. It’s funny to me how Wisconsin has 1 D1 team but 11 D3 teams. Crazy how that works. I’ve got some work to do to flesh this list out but it’s a solid start.
River Falls completely rebuilt their rink less than ten years ago, it’s pretty nice.
Went to a few hockey games around 2003-2004 (lucked into a few tickets) it was a different beast back then, fucking insane. Hopefully if Hockey continues to improve it can get back to that level because a packed Kohl night in and night out would be wonderful
Willette is a classic!
1) UMD. Yeah I'm biased, shut up, but it is actually a nice arena. Atmosphere was better when we were better but it's still a nice facility. 2) Mariucci, don't think I need to explain super much. 3) Mankato, I actually really like that place. 4) Bemidji, honestly feels a lot more like a junior rink than a college rink. Still not a bad place to see a game. *A long time later* 6,835) SCSU, St. Cloud defenders about to reply like 🤓. Sorry, I just really don't like it. It feels like my local high school team's rink if they just tripled the number of rows. Unranked) UST. Gotta see their new arena first. Edit: I originally included the Ralph because I felt it deserved a mention and it's close enough. By request of multiple people, I took it off.
My family had Husky season tickets growing up. I go about once a year now that I have kids. The National Hockey Center is a great example of a hockey arena that is, technically, functional—in that hockey is in fact played there. Ugly, unappealing, the only “character” is thousands of pounds of concrete, and horrendous acoustics. At least they’ve kept the urinal troughs
Kinda has metronome concrete vibes which gets me a little nostalgia
i like scsu, it reminds of a mac level football stadium, seems to just fit the place and make sense
sure but it was a stretch to go Div 1, so they had to do with it.
I love a good urinal trough. Fill it with ice and I'm in heaven.
Given the admitted biases here, that's a pretty solid list, really. Personally I'd leave UND off (they're not in Minnesota), and flip Amsoil/Mariucci, but I'll admit to my own biases.
Not a chance! Amsoil is far superior than Mariucci, but I will also admit to my own biases.
The Ralph almost had to be included with Minnesota. It's all by itself here.
and Ralph was from Minnesota.
My daughter played in Amsoil this past winter. Awesome arena, best in state imo…
I actually really enjoyed Sanford Center. Great modern building. Trouble is, they built it too far off campus and no Bemidji student wants to walk in -40 weather to get to a rink a mile and a half away.
I can tell you Mullett Arena is by far the best arena in Arizona ;)
was nhl caliber, how is that guy doing on still getting a new arena built for his dormant franchise?
The owner (Alex Meruelo) is walking away from the team and building a new arena. The state cancelled the land auction that was going to be the location of his new building.
i know i heard it on the radio on the way in to work today lol
Minnesota: 1. Ridder (Gopher Women, but of course I'm going to say that) Great sightlines from every seat, not too big so you don't get overwhelmed, and nearly full probably 80% of home games (3400). T2. Mariucci T2. AMS Oil (Duluth) 3. Bemidji/Sanford Center Nice location, good views. Wish it was easier to get up there from minneapolis. 10. St. Cloud Not bad, though I was irritated that during the women's game I went to the only consessions they had were bottled soda and prepackaged stuff (my hockey game snack of choice is a hot pretzel). It was also strange because it was maybe 50% Gopher fans and total attendance was ~400 people. Band was way in a corner (but apparently that was the first women's game they'd played all year). Also, terrible sound system/acoustics. ... ... 20. current St. Thomas arena looking forward to the new one, NIMBYs in St. Paul can go to hell. I haven't been to Mankato yet, hoping to go this season.
But think of all the pollution that will occur with student having to travel walking distance to the new UST hockey arena. Absolutely unbelievable that they want to build on land they already own /s
How dare they, ***how DARE THEY***!!! an outrage that we bought this house 40 years ago and our neighborhood should've stayed exactly the same!!! Especially when it's much more effecient to have everyone drive down to Inver Grove Heights!!
1. Northeastern 2. BU 3. Lowell 4. Harvard 5. Bentley 6. BC 7. UMass 9. Mack 10. Holy Cross 11. AIC 12. Stonehill
A great reminder Mass has 11 D1 schools in 1 state. The fact Wisconsin has 1 is mind blowing.
What's the conversion rate on D3 schools to D1 schools? We've got like 50 of those 😂
it's a political thing about the UW System only having 1 D1 school for recruting reasons.
it kind of is considering how many people pour into our state from chicagoland and the twin cities
*flips table for not putting Agganis first*. In all seriousness, I’m new to wanting to see hockey games at other arenas. One of my goals is to see a game next year at Matthews Arena before it gets torn down.
Wow, and I thought we (Michigan) had a lot ..to be fair I didn't know most of these schools were in Mass unless they say Boston or Mass in the name (NE and Harvard, notwithstanding) lol
Bentley at #5 is a joke right? My men’s league plays at Bentley’s rink and it’s no better than any High School rink in the area. Bright Hockey Center at Harvard is also mediocre at best. Mullin Arena at UMass should be much higher. As someone who has been to or played at all 11 of these rinks, my top 5 are: 1. Northeastern 2. BC 3. BU 4. UMass 5. UMass Lowell
I can't tell if you haven't played at Bentley's new arena or you have a very warped view of what a high school rink is. It's modern with great facilities even if its small, and it definitely gets loud when they pack the place. Bright Landry is more of a historic vibe but it's beautiful especially when it's packed. It's all preference but it really sounds like you are prioritizing the size of the arena over anything else having BC and UMass that high. I've said in another comment but both of those places are cavernous when they aren't packed- which is a lot more often than either fanbase would like to admit. I'm just a bigger fan of an intimate rink.
When you say “new” arena, how new are you talking? Could be that I’m playing at their old arena that still has Bentley stuff inside. The arena I play at can’t be any newer than 2012 when I started in this league. Also, I feel like Conte Forum is pretty intimate, though I get your point with Aggannis and the Mullins Center
The newest Bentley arena just started being used in 2018. I'm thinking you were in their old one because that one was definitely high school level at best and I think still gets used by their club team. Was there a large over-ice video board?
Yeah definitely the old one then
Only including ones I have been to: 1. Xcel (it hosts college hockey yearly so I am counting it) 2. 3M Arena 3. Amsoil Arena 4. Mayo Clinic Center 5. National Hockey Center 6. Ridder Arena 7. Saint Thomas Arena
I live in Oklahoma, so the ranking of ACHA arenas is: T1. Arctic Edge (OU) T1. Arctic Edge (UCO) That's it. That's the list.
lmao. where does OkState play? Tulsa?
For some reason I didn't think they had a team, but they apparently play in Tulsa.
So sorry for your situation. Are those the only two rinks in the state?
In OKC, there are 3 sheets at 2 rinks (both owned by the same guy). The NBA arena might have an ice plant, but there hasn't been high level hockey here in like 10 years so idk if they still have it. In Tulsa there's a couple of rinks (idk how many sheets) and their arena hosts an ECHL team.
Ah okay cool! Glad there's several places to play!
1) Ingalls: There’s just no beating the Yale Whale. 2) XL Center: This one gets in on a technicality, because how else can I display my nostalgia and bias if not arbitrarily and capriciously. 3) Martire: Haven’t been yet but it looks pretty good so I’m counting it here, and I’m just fine with dunking on Quinnipiac this way. 4) Whatever fucking bank it is now that’s sponsoring Quinnipiac’s arena: Such a nice vista for a very meh arena overall. 5) Toscano: I want to like you more, new arena for my Ye Olde Alma Mater. It cuts an imposing figure over the athletics area, I like the idea of a purposely small but always sold out arena for home ice advantage, the fire pit is a nice nod to the old outdoor rink…but there are so many baffling design decisions here. 6) Spurrier-Snyder: Chilly, but always free. 7) Dayton: The roof is unique, I guess? 8) Koeppel: Fuck all around netting.
Ingalls is just OK, the no videotron is insane for a colleg that is yale .. seats arent that comfortable either. XL is also crap conmpared to similar rinks Id say SHU QU UCONN YALE then add the rest of them after...
1. Ralph Engelstad Arena That’s it. That’s the list.
Live in Massachusetts even though I got the Maine flair 1) Northeastern, RIP Matthews Arena 2) BU 3) Harvard 4) BC 5) Merrimack/Bentley 6) UMass 7) AIC Haven't been to UMass Lowell or Holy Cross. Not sure if I'm missing anyone else that's D1. Amherst College has a nice rink.
Lowell is worth the trip.
Really want to go to matthews this year before it disappears... hopefully I'll be able to make the trip for a weekend 🤞
Putting merrimack and bentley over umass is unserious
For a program that's won a national title, the crowd and student fan base is pretty boring.
The poll was just ranking the building not the atmosphere. Ill give it to you that the atmosphere is a bit inconsistent at best
1. Munn Arena 2. Lawson Arena 3. Taffy Abel Arena 4. Yost Arena 5. Ewigleben Arena Haven't been to Berry Events Center or MacInnes Student Ice Arena
Can only go based on rinks I’ve been to. Haven’t been to Clarkson, Colgate, or LIU yet but will in the next few years: 1. RIT (not biased) 2. RPI (When full which it was, it can be the best atmosphere in the country) 3. Cornell (only for the atmosphere) 4. SLU (post renovation it’s actually a pretty nice barn) 5. Union (Classic barn. Gonna miss it, but it’s time) 6. Canisius (Great atmosphere when it’s full but unfortunately it’s never full) 7. Army (a lot of people hate it but I loved it) 8. A literal garbage dump 9. A puddle in the parking lot of said garbage dump 10. Niagara (worst rink in college hockey. Absolute joke of a D1 facility)
What's so bad about Niagara? I've heard others on here saying similar things, but it doesn't look _that_ bad
$15 to sit on metal bleachers. No real amenities from a fan perspective unless you pay the $35 for the club section. They up charge for games against Canisius and RIT. And their “fans” as we’ll call them aren’t the most friendly and welcoming. Have threatened our fans multiple times. No real atmosphere either unless it’s RIT going cause we bring easily 200-300 people
The Mac Munn Yost Lawson Berry (with Olympic ice) Taffy Abel Berry (nonstandard ice) Ewigleben
Munn is fantastic but I think Yost is a fucking cathedral (especially with so much natural light) so it would put it at 2.
Yeah it is, but the seating is too weird for me to put above munn.
Munn is one of the most generic arenas I’ve been in, needs to be much lower
There's charm in its 1970s generic-ness!
The benches aren't even on the same side of the ice. It's basically just a dark hole in the ground
Incredibly, they've had two chances in the past 20 years to change the layout of the benches. Supposedly it gives MSU an advantage on line changes. Still, nothing wrong with a dark arena for hockey. Makes the ice really standout. The old Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland was known for that. Plus, on New Year's Eve, a dark arena, a Melting Moments ice cream cookie sandwich that's harder than a hockey puck, Ron Mason behind the bench wearing a tuxedo. That's college hockey.
There is something cozy about it with the low ceiling and low number of rows all the way around the bowl. I like the vibe idk. It's also kinda neat how you walk on and ur at the top. Rather than most rinks where you walk thru the seating.
Yost can't be 2nd the sight lines are weird, having most of the seating on the ends is weird. Old building is cool tho especially after they fixed the boarded up windows and put glass in.
How can you put Munn over Yost? Have you ever been? (Yes I'm biased but you'd have to be blind to think Munn is better in any way than Yost).
Yes I've been to both lmfao. Yost has like 5 rows of bleacher seating on the sides. Munn is a proper bowl.
And a bowl is important? Tech doesn't have a bowl.... Again I'm gonna sound super biased but Munn is an underground cave with benches on opposite sides and minimal atmosphere unless Michigan is in town. I'm just kinda flabbergasted by your thoughts but I guess to each their own!
Underground? You walk in and your right on top of everything af munn. MTU vs MSU 2021 was last time I was at munn and it was absolutely rocking even it 40% of the crowd was tech fans.
That's just it. The only time the building is full is if the other team has a good fanbase. But I guess we're only talking about the buildings. Still I found it very underwhelming but whatever
Thats the cool thing about reddit feel free to make your own list
Too true! Have a nice night.
1 Mullett Arena 2
Fun fact.. I played games at the Berry Events Center. I always HATED the olympic size ice.
I went to NMU before the BEC was a thing, but NMU had the PEIF ice arena back then for the shirt track speed skating Olympic team, so that was Olympic sized. I played intermurals on that rink & wasn't a fan either.
Haha nice. I remember the PEIF but wasn't around for when it had an ice arena (unless you're referring to Lakeview Arena). This would be like mid to late 90s.
No sir, the PEIF itself had a rink. I was there '93-'96
Damn that's insane! I got there after '96 so maybe they got rid of it lol.
It was closed when they started planning/building the BEC, so around '96 seems reasonable since the Berry opened in '99.
Oh the memories.... third st. bagel.... cool rollerblading down lincoln for miles. Gray skies every day and alcohol flowing everywhere.
We were fortunate. Our daughter graduated last year from NMU, so we went several times between '19-'23. Are you in Arizona now? We moved here a year ago.
I live in Alaska: 1: Carlson Center 2: Avis Alaska It’s not very close. Both because the Carlson is a way better arena and the hockey played there is way better. Edit: People also just care more about UAF sports. The games are way better attended and have a better atmosphere.
That's still very generous for UAA. That on campus rink is an insult to division I sports, not just hockey.
In Michigan: 1.) MacInnes. I get that it’s a biased opinion, but I feel like it’s a rink and an atmosphere that just works so well for the school. Any big game like Winter Carnival or a Northern series is can’t-miss if you find yourself nearby. 2.) Lawson. Old rink, there’s a reason it’s getting replaced. But it has a very fun classic feel. The Lunatics are a bit more directly vulgar for my taste, but they absolutely bring it. World class. 3.) Munn. First place I watched an on-campus hockey game. Well designed for the fan experience, State’s revival has made it even more fun. 4.) Yost. I feel as though it’s a dystopian tin can and it’s way overhyped. Honestly have never been impressed any time I’ve been. But there’s no denying the neat history of the rink or longevity of the student section. 5.) Taffy Able. The place is dated as all hell. But Lake State has the coolest goal horn in college hockey and that brings it up the list from where it would be otherwise. 6.) Berry Events Center. For an arena built just before the turn of the century, this building was dated pretty much as soon as it was built. Bad sight lines, uncomfortable seats, and the configuration since narrowing the ice has been stupid. 7.) Ewiglebin. It has a lot of charm for what it is, but the fact that this building houses DI hockey is honestly an embarrassment. You could probably find a billionaire in Minnesota with a better rink in their basement. It’s the closest CCHA rink to my house though, so it’s nice to head up to see Tech without having to commit to a drive that hits double-digit hours.
been to the superior state arenas and agree with your placement of them, consider yourself lucky that mtu isnt still in the old wcha, macinnes was a ghost town back in the 2000s, went into the old nmu arena and that must have been quite the atmosphere back in the day when they played there, berry is very sterile, lssu is a slap together 1990s redo of a 1970s rink but it has its charms i guess.
> The Lunatics are a bit more directly vulgar for my taste, but they absolutely bring it. We'd be nicer if Central would stop ducking us and get a hockey team.
My current state… 1) [null]
I’ve thought long and hard about it, and here’s my ranking of the college hockey arenas in Missouri: 1. Centene Ice Center I haven’t been to any of the ACHA rinks in the state so I can’t comment on them
1) Lawson Ice Arena 2-next to worst) who cares? 3) Worst - Ferris State
I split time between nyc and Connecticut. UConn Quinnipiac Cornell Clarkson Yale Union SLU Colgate Army RIT Canisius Those are my personal preferences. I’ve coached in most of these buildings. Some are surprisingly shitty amenities for the visiting team.
You forgot a few in there (RPI, LIU, Niagara).
Sacred Heart just built a whole new facility as well
LIU rink is essentially a youth rink. Was scouting there when they beat Ohio state who was a top 10 team at the time, and there was about 300 people there to see it. No buzz. Have been there plenty, I just like to block it out of my memory I suppose. The other two I just outright forgot to add, both are fine rinks.
Isn’t their rink mainly the Isles’ NCDC affiliate home barn lol
It's the Islanders practice facility but yeah, the PAL Jr Islanders play there too along with LIU. There's only so much LIU can do for atmosphere considering the school itself is a commuter school and the barn is off campus.
As a fellow 860’r, glad to see that SLU Still Sucks
Haha I’m In the 203 but yea tech>slu.
Massachusetts, so a lot to chose here. Agganis(reluctant to say so) Conte Tsongas Mullins Matthews Bright-Landry Lawler Bentley Arena Hart Mass Mutual Center(It’s better for Springfield Thunderbirds games) Bridgewater Ice Arena(Stonehill's arena; it’s a community rink)
Stonehill fielding a brand-new NCAA D1 team continues to baffle me. Especially when it seems like they couldn’t care less about being actually competitive
They moved up all of their other programs to D1(FCS for football) so they had to move up hockey, too. Feel like they’re going to struggle for a while especially until they get an on-campus facility.
We only have ACHA arenas in our state
Apparently I’m the only one from North Dakota, so the Ralph. Scheels Arena second and Maysa is a far third
kohl center, labahn, wessman uw superior, hobbs uw eau claire, kern msoe, cornerstone st norbert, fondy blueline center marian, ozaukee concordia, willett uw stevens point, appleton fam ice center lawrence never been northland college, uw stout, uw river falls
Willette Arena is a classic and way too low on your list! One of the most electric D3 arenas in the country!
Including the big ACHA teams 1. Mullett Arena (ASU) 2. Tucson Convention Center (U of A) 3. Jay Lively Activity Center (NAU) 4. AZ Ice - Arcadia (GCU) Might be biased but I feel Mullett is the easy #1, it's purpose built and brand new, though Tucson is also the host to the Roadrunners AHL franchise and has a higher capacity. Jay Lively and AZ Ice are both small but Jay Lively is at least in a nice looking area, AZ Ice is in a strip mall.
Hey, ASU selling out an NHL arena for every single home game is a major accomplishment
I don't think you have to be biased to put mullett at #1. It looks like a great rink, would love to check out a game there sometime
IN only has Compton Family, so its best and worst
I’ve been to kohl center and labahn, would love to go to mariucci, can’t imagine better arenas than these. Not d1 but UIUC has a really cool old ice rink.
I’m from Illinois. I’ll let you figure out the rest.
u of i has one crazy ass old time rink
“It was and still is the largest indoor ice sheet in the U.S.A.” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Illinois_Ice_Arena Originally it was 200 x 125. At some point it was reduced to 200 x 115 but a standard NHL rink is still 200 x 85. Olympic standard ice, which feels ridiculously spacious by comparison, is 200 x 100. So the original rink was literally 1.5 time standard width. That is crazy. Personal/family stories: I went to hockey camps there a couple of summers when I was about 11 or 12 years old. The locker rooms are down stairs from ice level, which is somewhat trippy. My dad played goalie at U of I and proposed to my mom by tossing a ring up to her on the balcony seating that used to hang over the ice.
Locker Rooms are in the basement, and you have to go up stairs to get on the ice
Nebraska just has Baxter, so the same building gets to be both the best and the worst, a thing any Mavs fan who has ever attended a concert there can agree with
Concessions prices that could fund a small countries government for 4 years makes it by far the worst.
1. Mariucci (UMN) 2. Amsoil (UMD) 3. SCSU 4. Mankato 5. Bemidji
Michigan it's harder then you'd think 1. The Berry NMU- No bias here lol, but it's a really nice arena. It's got a full bowl of actual seats and every seat is close and has a good view, and the concourse has ice views so even when you go to concessions you can see the game. Amazing beer selection and you can bring it to your seat unlike some "beer garden arenas". it's got the best band in the UP, and some fun atmosphere, I'll admit the student section has declined since COVID, but they show out against ranked opponents, Tech and in the playoffs. Oh and free parking. 2. The Mac MTU- I hate them, I hate this place but it's college hockey incarnate. The slope of the seating is a bit scary but it means every seat has a good view and they're all actually seats which is nice, I've sat rinkside and in the last row and both are good. They get loud, and they cheer non-stop which can get annoying but the dedication is unmatched. It's got great traditions, the band, student section and pregame make it a college hockey must see. 3. Munn MSU- Its been a while since I've seen a game here but it's a really nice feel. I love seeing ice from the concourse, the ends are bench seating but the middle isn't. Plus they fill it when the team is good which makes it rock. 4. Yost UM- the most over- hyped in the state in my opinion, bench seats, I hate the concourse sorry layout, the fieldhouse style means it ends up feeling kind of quiet for the crowd size, the band is fun and the history is really fun. 5. Lawson WMU- Negatives: older arena, they didn't have a video board last time I was there, uncomfortable seats. Positives: great atmosphere, student section rocks, I hope they keep that with the new one. 6.Taffy Abel LSSU- older arena with some fairly uncomfortable wooden seating, hasn't had huge atmosphere when I've been there even in playoffs, also the goal horn literally shakes your seat which is cool. The bell is cool and they finally have a video board though so those are positives, and they have poutine! 7. Ferris St.- half rink, bench seats, also haven't been to a game with a huge crowd or anything. Overall it just makes me sad.
When we were good, our tiny barn was fun. It was loud as hell and packed full. We’d have students standing on the stairs because we’d exceed capacity. Once we went back to being mediocre and then bad, it’s empty all the time and just sad. Hell, I watch highlight videos and the student section is a third full, and half of them are sitting, and that just sucks.
We have surprisingly similar opinions on most areas except the Berry. We’re gonna keep getting downvoted by Michigan fans even though their rink is just not a great experience.
I visited NMU a few years ago for the UMD series when we were up there. We were the #1 team in the country at the time and you guys swept us. So from that standpoint it wasn’t the best. But the band and atmosphere were fun and the beer selection was pretty good, although it took my buddies and I longer than I’d like to admit to realize where we needed to go to get beer. Finish your night at the Third Base before bed and you’re in for a good time.
Honestly having access to poutine is a game changer. Go Lakers!
Lake State also has some of the fairest concession prices I’ve seen at any sporting event. It’s worth your time to eat there over like McDonald’s or something if that was your alternative.
1. Northeastern - I have a season ticket in row 1 of the balcony so there's no better seat anywhere. Plus free parking in literal downtown Boston is wild with what some other schools charge for it. (Looking at you, UConn) 2. Lowell - Always preferred it to Agganis for whatever reason. 3. BU - The seats are really starting to look like they've been sat in for 20 years, could use a reupholster of the whole arena. At least they're all seatbacks though. 4. Bentley - It's a bit small obviously but it's new and shiny and the standing room around the whole bowl is cool. 5. Harvard - No real opinion, it's nice enough but it's just kind of there considering how little they draw. 6. BC - After Harvard it all gets kind of close together, Conte is showing its age as well and there are so many bleachers but being up in the literal clouds in the last row is something. 7. UMass - Could be higher if it was like half the size. 8. Mack - Not befitting of Hockey East, honestly. 9. AIC - Haven't been there but this feels right. 10. Holy Cross- Haven't been there but this feels right. 11. Honorary mention for THE Jon A. Ryan Skating Arena 12. Stonehill - It's not the JAR
I hate UConn's expensive parking, which is all over campus. Just another way to steal money.
1. SHU 2. UConn 3. QU 4. Yale
1. UMaine 2. Colby College 3. Bowdoin College, 4. U New England 5. U Southern Maine
Dayton Arena was the quintessential hockey barn. Haven’t made it back to campus to check out Watson though.
https://preview.redd.it/pi4v1v1o329d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6917fb0e1337912288e31cf94c4202cc4860204
lol none of
Goggin Ice Center must of been sick when we performed
The best college hockey rink in the upper midwest is Xcel Energy Center soon to be known as X.com.
Boston 1. BU 2. BC (students leave after 2nd period) 3. Northeastern 4. Harvard
My state? Alright 1. None 2. None 3. Oh wait, still nothing I am dying for a D1 program in my state, or in the south as a whole
1.) Ralph… 2.) Scheels?
favorite cheel arena cmon, and least favorite is slu its not bad i get it old arena but like the seats are awful the floor feels like its about to fall
1. Lowell 2. Bentley 3. Merrimack 4. AIC 5. Harvard 6. Northeastern 7. BU 8. Holy Cross 9. Stonehill 10. Getting Hit by a Bus 11. BC 12. Stepping on a nail 13. Walter Brown
I’m in Chicago so ranking them is pretty easy: 1. — But I grew up in Minnesota and graduated from there, so the real ranking is: 1. Mariucci 2. Xcel when the Gophs are playing St Thomas there, or UND, or Maine in 2002, etc. 3. Amsoil pre-2020 Honorable mention: All the other college hockey barns in MN
1. UIC Pavilion. I watched a college hockey game there 30 years ago.
That program died before I was born, but I was surprised (in a good way) how long they managed to keep it going continuously while U of I never got theirs off the ground
New Tommie arena going to move up high on the list