The Top 3 Best/Craziest Hockey East Arenas

Lately, there has been a lot of buzz around the hockey community about the best and worst rinks around the league. No. 4 Notre Dame opened the doors to their new facility last night for the first time, hosting No. 3 Boston College Eagles. Anyone who watched the game on TV was shown just how spectacular the Compton Family Ice Arena really is. Costing the school about $50 million, this arena is the best of the best. The external structure actually resembles that of an ancient cathedral with a modern adaption, which is carried throughout the inside of the building as well. But is it a good rink to play in? Will chants from the student section be sent thundering throughout the building so loud that the opposing team can not hear themselves think?

I listened in on a few conversations between players and coaches to find out what were the essentials to a great hockey rink. I came to realize that the best rinks are not the fanciest or the newest. In fact, the trend seemed to be the older, the better. Schools that undergo a facilities change are typically trying to cater to the rising amount of fans. A bigger rink means more tickets to sell, which means more revenue for the school. The problem with this is that these new rinks are so big that they lose the intensity that comes with smaller buildings.

For example, anyone that grew up watching Boston University games at the Walter Brown Arena will tell you that it got so loud in there at times that you couldn't hear what the person next to you was saying. The student section filled half the seats in the whole rink. Players used to say that it felt as if the fans were literally on top of them. Their chants erupted with such power that opponents were intimidated. It was pure mayhem. The low, tin roof and angle of the stadium seating were the main reasons for this. When the team moved to the Jack Parker Rink in the newly constructed Agganis Arena, Jack Parker knew they were going to lose this advantage. He specifically designed the stadium seating to be as steep as possible in order to mimmic the Walter Brown Arena. Still, it would never be the same.

So what Hockey East rinks today still maintain the Walter Brown effect? I have ranked the top 5, from my experience, best/craziest rinks in the Hockey East.

1. Alfond Arena- University of Maine, Orono. 

The Alfond Arena is the modern day Walter Brown. It is an old building with low ceilings and a seating plan that has parts of the rink literally hanging over the ice. And you better believe the student section takes full advantage of that. The thing that makes Alfond Arena so loud and hostile is because the fans are crazy. Unlike many rinks, the student section isn't the only one cheering. Every single Maine Blackbear fan is screaming at the top of their lungs. Their fans are unlike any other fans in the Hockey East. They live, breath, and eat Maine hockey. These fans combined with the architectural design of the Alfond Arena is a deadly combination, earning it the number one spot as the best/craziest/loudest rinks in the Hockey East.

2. Matthews Arena- Northeastern University

The Matthews Arena is a legend as far as hockey rinks go. It is the oldest indoor ice hockey arena still being used for hockey and is the oldest multi-purpose athletic building still in use, in the world. Its oval shape is almost entire made of concrete. When the Dog House gets going, the noise level is out of control. Every time Northeastern scores a goal, the crowed gets so loud that I lose my video feed until they quiet back down. Although Matthews Arena has been renovated several times, it still maintains great acoustics and its old-time feel, earning it the number two spot.

3. The Thom Lawler Arena- Merrimack College

This rink has always had the potential to be the loudest, craziest rink in Hockey East, but it never had a true fan base to complete the equation. I mentioned earlier that the Alfond Arena was the modern day Walter Brown because the overall experience matches that of Walter Brown Arena in its hay day. However, the Thom Lawler Arena, structurally, is Walter Brown Arena. It has the same low, metal ceilings and steep seating arrangement. As the Warriors began to establish themselves as a Hockey East powerhouse over the past few years, the Thom Lawler Arena has been slowly reacting its potential. An increasing fan base packs it in, lining the glass all the way around the rink, and the student section can get the place going really loud. I was able to see the potential first hand when I went to watch the Malden Catholic vs St. John's Prep Super 8 high school hockey game last year. The place was packed to the point where they had to turn people away at the door. Student sections from both schools nearly shook the house down. It is this potential that earns The Thom Lawler Arena the number three spot.

Honorable mentions include the University of Vermont's Gutterson Fieldhouse, which is one of my personal favorites, and the University of New Hampshire's Whittemore Center.

Any other great rinks out there? Leave a comment and tell me your favorite college hockey arena.