Five months of travel hockey, along with another to go, have actually undoubtedly taught me a thing or two. One, an EZ pass is a good thing and two, publications on CD are an absolute necessity.
With games in Gorham, Biddeford, Augusta, Yarmouth and treks to Hooksett, Brand-new Hampshire and Moncton, St. John and St. Stephen, Brand-new Brunswick we’ve been all over this region and I’m not even running for office. One of the more interesting aspects of all this travel is the vast disparity in the state of specific ice rinks.
Zane’s Maine Jr. Black Bear Tier II Squirt (9-10 yr olds) group has actually played in cathedrals of hockey like the Alfond Arena and decrepit little barns on the outskirts of town that you have actually to drive through an oil refinery to find.
We’ve strapped on his leg pads in luxurious dressing rooms in St. Stephen and tiny closets in St. John. His little brother and I, and on occasion his mom and grandmothers, have actually endured the freezer like conditions of the Ice Arena and the comfort of a bar and grill along with an overlook of the ice in Moncton. We’ve perched on rickety boards and concrete platforms and we’ve eaten points it’s ideal not to tell the spouse about. So let us review the several rinks we’ve been to, what’s been done well and just what could use an improvement or two…or perhaps a bulldozer.
Down South:
BEST MOMENT FEATURING A LITTLE BROTHER: Biddeford Ice Arena (Southern Maine Breakers): I vaguely recall our one trip to this building. It’s a decent old barn though the locker room was small and featured some open door toilets. The highlight of our game there was Augi walking up to the coaches and telling them Han Solo died, thus earning the nick-name “Spoiler Alert”. The ice was decent and the place has actually a pro-shop. I can’t comment on any concessions because we were only there for one game and then it was up to Gorham!
BEST LIGHTING: Gorham/USM (Southern Maine Breakers): The University of Southern Maine rink in Gorham is a lovely and modern structure that features Olympic size ice. The larger surface is impressive yet parents may need to group binoculars to watch their gamer go in to the far corner. The locker rooms are good sized, there’s a pro-shop and the upper concourse has actually a decent snack-bar. The arena is a cold one yet not one of the coldest. The real highlight of this area is the Blue Pig Diner merely down the road. Stop by for big burgers, pancakes, coffee, many good stuff prior to you head residence (or between games if there’s time).
BEST WARM VIEWING ROOM: Yarmouth (Casco Bay Mariners): The Travis Roy Arena on the campus of North Yarmouth Academy has actually the distinction of being the only rink in Maine to feature a ‘head’s-up’ line. This 40” stripe of orange paint is intended to suggestions skaters be aware of their proximity to the boards, sort of a warning track, in an effort to reduce injuries. It’s a good tip that may catch on though there is no hard data as yet to indicate it’s effectiveness. The arena itself feature good ice, small locker rooms, a warm room that overlooks the visitor’s end, and an acceptable level of chill down on the floor. The ice level viewing area is hampered, however, by the narrowness of the overall structure, placing followers at awkward angles along with large orange painted steel girders often getting in the way. Also, the concessions are limited to a guy selling hot dogs, chips and sodas though there are a number of options fairly close by including a Mr. Bagel merely steps away.
BEST WAITING AREA: Auburn (Auburn Gladiators): The Norway Savings Bank Arena in Auburn is a difficult place to locate that initial time around, sitting as it does on a hill behind a mall yet once there the experience is a great one (Especially when you beat the initial place Gladiators!) It doesn’t look like much on the outside yet within those dull, brown, corrugated walls are two rinks along with a concession/viewing area/game room on the second level that overlooks both. The meals is decent enough though the snack-bar is understaffed (at least when we were there) yet the locker rooms are good sized and the seating areas are pretty great for both the “Championship” arena and the “Secondary” ice pit.
BEST SNACK: Augusta (SAM/Moose): After the collapse of the old structure, the Bank of Maine Ice Vault was built and it features my favorite snack bar item in all the state. Sidle on up to the café in a warm room that showcases a large fireplace and many tables and order the Hockey Special (an egg n’ cheese n’ bacon on an English Muffin). For whatever reason they do that thing right down there. The arena itself is aptly named temperature wise. fairly nice locker rooms and good ice though. It features a great pro-shop and a Ground Round/Bowling Alley next door where the staff know you have actually to grab back for the second game. One bit of advice, be all set to grab frustrated attempting to grab to the place. You have actually to grab off an exit early, go the wrong way, take a quick left to take a U-turn to grab back going the right way, take a right on a street that makes you believe you’re about to grab back on the highway and then miss out on the initial entrance road yet catch the second one if you’re not blind along with rage and tears by this point.
Rinks we didn’t travel to this year: Kent’s Hill (Lovely and Cold), Sukee (Old and funky), Houlton (method up North) and, I’m sure, a few others.
Maine Jr. Black Bears in Moncton, NB.
OUT OF STATE:
BEST PLACE TO WIN A REALLY BIG TROPHY – Hookset, Brand-new Hampshire: The residence of the Manchester Jr. Monarchs is much like the Norway Savings Bank Arena in that it has actually two rinks and an upper level concourse. The secondary rink, however, lacks any fan seating areas. There are two concrete triangles that hover over the corners yet they ain’t exactly comfortable. The gamers can easily hear you from this perch, however, which can easily be both a good and bad thing. The locker rooms are big yet smell of all manner of funk. Major upside, the café serves beer, a nice addition to a night game. Bonus: Zane’s group won the Black Cat Classic earlier in the season.
BEST method TO FIT FOUR RINKS IN ONE BUILDING: Moncton, NB. The Superior Propane Centre features four rinks under one roof as well as a bar and grill that overlooks most of them. One of the rinks is residence to several junior groups and features stadium seating. The others three make do along with ice level SRO and overhanging corner benches that at least enable you a place to sit and drink your Molson while you watch the kids play. There is a pro-shop and a lot of (mostly) friendly Canadians. It’s a long drive from Orono, about 5 hours – a bit more along with an ice storm – yet the Hampton Inn has actually a 90’ waterslide that will certainly absolutely exhaust your group (which they’ll pay for in the third period of the morning game).
MOST ICE RINKS IN ONE AREA: St. John, NB. This city of roughly 125,000 individuals appears to boast one ice rink for each four of them and about three times as several Tim Horton’s. The rinks vary in upkeep and décor from an old school civic focus that looked so much like an old school I drove past it twice to a fairly old school barn the interior of which looks like it’s been slathered in mustard and smells about the same. The lockers are decent enough yet do your self a favor and stop at one of the 5 Tim Horton’s on the method quite than risk the snack bar. The others two rinks we visited up there were similar in that the featured hard ice and little, bitty, teensy, tiny locker rooms (at least for us Americans). The most effective section of St. John is the Delta Hotel which connects to the downtown mall, the central market, the aquatic center, the Hilton, the Brand-new Brunswick Museum and a whole heck of a lot of others stuff. Check in took awhile yet once on the floor the kids were able to take pleasure in a fairly liberal view on floor hockey in the hallway and a large and deep hot tub.
MOST FABULOUS ARENA ALL YEAR: St. Stephen, NB (St. Stephen Spartans): The Garcelon Civic Centre is, by far, the newest and swankiest arena we visited this year. The ice is lovely, the benches glorious, the locker rooms enormous, and the seating merely grand. Parking sucks and we didn’t try the snack bar yet the upper concourse doubles as a monitor for the fitness focus to folks attempting to grab there cardio in can easily take pleasure in a youth hockey game at the same time. Additionally included in the facility is a community pool finish along with kids area and waterslide. Neat! All I really want from them is a Hampton Inn next door and a weekend tournament. This is the sort of place I’d love to see in our area. Speaking of which…
The Locals:
BEST PLACE TO WATCH A HOCKEY GAME IN THE COUNTRY: The Alfond Arena, Orono. (Maine Jr. Black Bears) The former residence of such legends as Paul Karyia, Shawn Walsh, John Tortorella, Bob Beers, and current NHL’rs Jimmy Howard, Ben Bishop, Gustav Nyquist, Ben Hutton and Devin Shore (among others), no building in the state has actually such history and pedigree. Take an amble along the main concourse and check out both the history of UMaine Hockey and the long line of gamers that have actually gone on to play in the NHL. There are Additionally opportunities to stay for a men’s or women’s game if you arrive on the right weekend and possible meet a Black Bear in the stands or on the ice.
Squirts going out for an intermission game at the Alfond.
The Alfond is routinely cited as The most effective place to watch a college hockey game and a primary reason why recruits from far away think of coming to Maine, merely don’t try to grab a hot dog during your kids pee-wee game versus the Breakers as the University of Maine does not open it’s concessions during Jr. Black Bear games and only allows concessions on special occasions. Worse, there’s nothing within walking distance so strategy to bring your very own snacks and beverages or make a mad dash down the road to Mikey D’s, Dunkin D’s or Timmy H’s. Upside, downtown Orono is only a few minutes drive and features a host of consuming and drinking establishments including the original Pat’s Pizza, Woodman’s, the Family Dog, Bear Brew, Verve, the Roost, Margaritas, Thai Orchid, Harvest Moon and at least three breweries (yet another one may have actually popped up during the writing of this article). Lot’s of after game options. Back to the rink!
The Alfond is a comfortable stadium that feels a bit empty along with only a few dozen spectators. The warmer temps do sometimes translate to mushy ice when it gets humid and along with college level skaters ripping it up 6 days a week it’s been known to swallow a mini-mite or two despite The most effective efforts of the rink staff.
Skate sharpening is available and the locker rooms vary in size. Try to grab the visitors room underneath the stands merely so you can easily say, “I changed in the same room as Jack Eichel!” Do NOT grab stuck in Locker room B unless you like changing in a phone-booth. Still, every group in the state need to grab to play there at least once if only to stand at focus ice or tuck in to the goal crease and image, “just what if?”
BEST TURN AROUND OF A FORMER DUMP: Penobscot Ice Arena, Brewer. (Brewer Witches, Maine Jr. Black Bears). Under the ownership of George Bishop and the management of Randy Marsh the frozen, decrepit, hell-pit of a pockmarked frozen swamp pond that was once the Ice Arena has actually undergone such a remarkable transformation that a group of NHL legends were not too put out by playing there last Monday night. Gone are the ice on the locker room walls and the piles of trash under the stands. The showers have actually hot water, the mold has actually been power scrubbed away and there’s a sizable locker room dedicated to girls. Oh, it’s still the coldest rink in the state (bring extra blankets, pants, heated underwear and a survival tent if you’re staying for more than one game) and could use a warm room along with a view of the action yet the ice is good, the chocolate hot and the locker rooms heated. Thus, along with the improvements at PIA the title of worst arena in the state now goes to…
WORST ARENA IN THE STATE I’M PROUD TO CALL HOME: Sawyer Arena, Bangor. (Maine Jr. Black Bears). The ice at Sawyer is generally considered The most effective in Maine which can easily be attributed to the almost PIA level of cold the old barn is kept at as well as the dedicated staff that are routinely helpful and accommodating. The concessions are almost always open along with high-points being the chicken nuggets and fries (prevent the corn-dog). Having said that, the locker rooms are cramped and crowded and the hallway method too thin. There are holes in the walls harkening back to the days when Sawyer was an open air facility and while the warm room does offer a view from the residence group adverse of the ice the windows are scratched, beaten, smeared and feature a wooden frame every four feet making viewing difficult.
Sight lines don’t grab much much better up in the stands as only a few choice spots on the top row offer much of a whole ice view. The lighting is dim, the benches warped and the girders rusted. At least the bathrooms are warm.
If there’s yet another place that should be nominated for the Kraft Hockeville USA rink upgrade contest more than Sawyer I’ll consume one of those corn dogs again.
Really, Bangor needs a new, modern ice arena. It could be placed next to the current building or near the Mall where that empty Circuit City/Halloween Store building is or moved downtown near the Cross focus or even better, on the waterfront along with views of the mighty Penobscot! We might chance for one like they have actually up in St. Stephen which serves as a municipal fitness and convention focus yet I’d settle for the double-rink experience of the Norway Savings Bank Arena or the ski-lodge like atmosphere of the Ice Vault.
I would certainly suggest a little-sibling play area like those structures they have actually at certain McDonalds or the Ellsworth Tennis focus so the rink rats have actually a place to take pleasure in themselves. I would certainly Additionally suggest building two half-sized sheets for the U-8 crowd. If we got Cross Insurance involved we could call them the Cross-Ice Cross Insurance Rinks. We might even add a library and a Gunn’s Hockey Shop outlet. If we could grab Stephen and Tabitha King to contribute we could truly call it a “Home of Horrors” for visiting teams. I now appoint myself Brand-new Bangor Ice Arena Commissioner and say, “Make it so!”
This has actually been your State of the State’s Hockey Rinks. Next week: The State of the State’s Backyard Rinks or How to Make Ice in an Unexpected Heat Wave!
Recommend this article
from Golden Land Travel http://ift.tt/20SxtON
0 komentar:
Post a Comment