Roaming The Rinks

One hockey fan's journey to the arenas of North America

Plus/Minus Arena Report:  2019-2020 College Hockey

We like to keep up to date on arena changes throughout the world of college, pro, and junior hockey in North America.  On this report we will check in on some new and alternate college hockey venues that you can check out this season on your hockey travels.  College hockey is slow to change and full of tradition, and many of the alternate venues listed here have hosted games year after year for decades, yet are not the regular homes arenas for college teams.  We hope you can use this information to plan an upcoming trip.




CIS - Minus  Halifax Forum,  Halifax, NS  The Halifax Forum is one of the oldest arenas in North America, and is the primary filming location for Goon 2.  This great barn has been home of the St. Mary's University Huskies for years, but the Huskies are moving into a new building for this season.  You can still see Dalhousie University play at the Forum, but time is running out as the Dalhousie Tigers have a new on-campus arena opening soon, so the days of big time hockey at this grand old arena are numbered.



Plus - Dauphinee Centre, Halifax, NS  This modern 750 seater just opened for the St. Mary's huskies, and is more of a recreational facility than a big event arena.  The modern amenities and location may make things better for St. Mary's fans and students but we are sad to see them move on from the Halifax Forum.



Bonus Plus - Leon's Centre, Kingston, ON  The battle of Kingston schools, Queen's University and Royal Military College, takes place at the home of the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs on February 6th.  With both schools a mile or so away from the downtown Kingston arena this is a great local rivalry.



Bonus Plus - Antigonish Arena,  Antigonish, NS  St. Francis Xavier University, known simply as St.FX in Eastern Canada, has a couple of games in Antigonish this season, taking on Moncton October 5th, and UPEI November 29th.



Bonus Plus - TD Place Arena, Ottawa, ON  The former NHL arena that is now home of the Ottawa 67's hosts a crosstown rivalry game between Carleton University and University of Ottawa on November 15th.



Bonus Plus - Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB   The two Calgary universities, Mount Royal, and Calgary, take to NHL ice on January 30th for a rivalry matchup.      




Halifax Forum dates back to the 1920's, and St. Mary's University will no longer call this arena home  

NCAA - Even  The NCAA has an identical look to last season, with no new teams joining Division 1, and no new venues for any of the teams as their primary homes.  There are a bunch of alternate venue games, or "Bonus Plus" arenas where it can be fun to catch college hockey in a setting in which it is not normally played.



Bonus Plus - Huntington Center, Toledo, OH  The home of the ECHL's Toledo Walleye will host an early season NCAA event on October 11th and 12th, hosting 4 teams including nearby Bowling Green.  This is a good opportunity to attend this downtown Toledo arena without the usual boredom of a ECHL game.


The Huntington Center in Toledo will see NCAA hockey played in October     

Bonus Plus - Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, NY  RIT generally hosts at least 1 game per season at this AHL venue next to the Genesee River.  The RIT Tigers will take to the ice here on October 18th and 19th this season.



Bonus Plus - Roos House, Canton, NY Appleton Arena on the campus of St. Lawrence University is one of our favorite arenas. The classic barn with wooden seats is undergoing renovations so the first few St. Lawrence games will be played at SUNY Canton, which has their own NCAA Division 3 team.  The Skating Saints are scheduled to play here on October 19th and November 15th and 16th.



Bonus Plus - Madison Square Garden,  New York, NY  The legendary MSG usually hosts a college game or 2.  This season Boston University will take on Cornell in the Big Apple on November 30th.



Bonus Plus - Gila River Arena, Glendale, AZ  The Arizona State Sun Devils normally play at their small arena in Tempe, but will play at the home of the Arizona Coyotes on December 7th as they take on the Denver Pioneers.



Bonus Plus - Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH  The home of the NHL's Blue Jackets will see Ohio State take on Colgate on December 27th and 28th.



Bonus Plus - FivePoint Arena, Irvine, CA  Arizona State plays in this unlikely arena, which has seating for less than 2000, as they take on Harvard on December 28th and 29th. 



Bonus Plus - Little Caesars Arena - Detroit, MI  The new home of the Red Wings has taken over where Joe Louis Arena left off when it comes to college hockey.  The Great Lakes Invitational takes place here December 30th and 31st, and Michigan takes on Michigan State on February 17th.



Little Caesars Arena in Detroit once again sees its share of college hockey - Robert Corsarie photo   

Bonus Plus - T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV  Vegas gets college hockey once again this season, as Army, Providence, Ohio State, and Cornell play in the Fortress Invitational on January 3rd and 4th.


Bonus Plus - Cross Insurance Arena, Portland, ME  The ECHL's Mariners are now in Portland, but University of Maine still has 1 game here.  This year's game is on January 4th against Nebraska-Omaha.


Bonus Plus - Times Union Center, Albany, NY  With the AHL's Devils heading to Binghamton there has not been much hockey in downtown Albany, but the annual Mayor's Cup pits RPI against Union.  This year's matchup takes place January 25th.


Bonus Plus - TD Garden,  Boston, MA  With a history longer than many of the college arenas in the NCAA, it is hard to call the Beanpot a bonus plus.  It has  been a  tradition the first 2 Monday's of February for decades, and is a must see battle between Boston's 4 Division 1 school's.  This year's Beanpot is February 3rd and 10th.


Bonus Plus - GFL Memorial Gardens, Sault Ste. Marie, ON  The NCAA will play a game outside the U.S. in this interesting contest at the home of the OHL's Soo Greyhounds.  Lake Superior State will play on the other side of the bridge for this game as they take on Alabana-Huntsville on February 15th.



Hockey season is now in full swing and we hope you will be able to use this information to catch a college or university game at a location that you may not have thought of.  As always, check the official schedule before you travel. Now get out there and roam the rinks in search of new hockey adventures!