Jim writes:
>...but here in the East there are at least two exceptionally fine venues for
>college hockey spectating.  Dartmouth's Thompson Arena is, IMHO, the finest
>collegiate hockey facility I've ever visited, and I've been to every ECAC/HE
>rink and many in the CCHA.  It seats 5000+ and EVERY seat has an unobstructed
>view of the entire ice surface.
 
I second this.  Thompson is definitely one of the finest college rinks in
the East.  I'm looking forward to getting up there for the Yoken's/Auld Lang
Syne Championship again this year.
 
Another underrated place to see a game is Providence's Schneider Arena.  Very
small (3,000), but most seats are good and close to the ice.  BU's Walter
Brown is great when packed with screaming Terrier fans, but otherwise it's
nothing special.  Northeastern's Matthews Arena is the oldest rink in the
world but has aged well with the heavy work they did on it in the 70s.  But
most seats down below are not too good, which is why I always sit in the
balcony.  The balcony overhangs the benches and you are literally watching
from right above the ice surface.  THAT is my favorite seat for a hockey
game, except for Boston Garden balcony during the Beanpot or a Bruins-Habs
playoff game.
 
Lively Snively at UNH is a larger version of Merrimack's rink (both were
built in the 1960s) and has those *new* boards.  The fans and The Fish are
what make Snively the special place it is.  Center ice seats are great, as
you get farther away it gets more difficult to see down the other end.
 
Harvard's Bright Center tries to pack too many people into a small place.
If you don't mind holding your breath for 2.5 hours, it's not a bad place
to see a game.  Not to mention those long lines to the rink's ONE bathroom.
 
I reserve comment on Alfond until I see what they've done to it for
myself. :-)
 
>Thompson once again.  Conte Forum, BC's new facility, is also an exceptional
>spectator's venue [team bench placement notwithstanding :-) ], but it lacks
>the intimacy of some of the smaller rinks, and has some quirks associated with
>its dual role as home for the Eagle hockey AND hoop teams.
 
"Lacks the intimacy" is an understatement.  Yes, all 7,556 or whatever seats
are unobstructed, but most are also two miles from the ice because there
are so few seats behind the nets (where the luxury boxes are located).  It's
very difficult to mentally get into a game at Conte.  It's definitely one of
the wonders of the college hockey world because of its size, extravagance,
and so on.  But if it were my choice, I can think of at least 5 other rinks
I'd rather watch a game in than Conte.  It all depends on one's point of
view.  I think someone used to large pro arenas would like Conte, but
someone used to small college rinks would hate it.
 
 
- mike