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| The TD Bank Sports Center features a Bobcat statue out front. The hockey arena is located through the right window, while the basketball arena can be seen through the left window. (CenterBrook.com) |
The next arena up for Rink Review is the TD Bank Sports Center, the home of the Quinnipiac Bobcats. I have been to "The Bank" a few times, but this review is based on my most recent visit.
Here is what Wikipedia says about "The Bank:"
TD Bank Sports Center, known as the TD Banknorth Sports Center from its opening until it reflected a corporate name change in September 2009, is a multi-purpose arena in Hamden, Connecticut. Its design is unusual in that it consists of two separate playing and seating areas, one intended for basketball and one intended for ice hockey, joined together within a common facility. It seats 3,570 for basketball and 3,386 for hockey.
The center opened on January 27, 2007, and is home to the Quinnipiac University men's and women's basketball and men's and women's ice hockey teams. It replaced Burt Kahn Court for the basketball team and the Northford Ice Pavilion for ice hockey. It is located on Quinnipiac's York Hill Campus and is part of a large expansion project for that campus.[2] Shuttle buses transport teams, students, and employees from the main campus to the arena.
The center cost $52 million to build.[2] Its creation is part of an ambitious plan by Quinnipiac to improve its drawing power for student athletes and perhaps move up to bigger league than the Northeast Conference.
You can learn more about the arena on the Quinnipiac Athletics Website.
Here's my evaluation:
Atmosphere:
Compared to the other ECAC rinks I have been to, the atmosphere at "The Bank" is pretty much non-existent. While the rink wasn't empty, it definitely wasn't full (I hear they pack it in when they play Yale). There really wasn't a buzz, no real organized "Quinnipiac specific" chants, or anything like that. Like RPI, Clarkson, etc., Quinnipiac did have a skating mascot (Boomer the Bobcat), which is always a "cute" touch (like I always told my Dad, "it's for the kids"). One unique thing that QU had at the game were cheerleaders, which is something I have not seen in the ECAC (I've seen the skating cheerleaders at Minnesota). They weren't particularly loud or flashy (but I'm not a cheerleader critic), but I thought it brought something different to a college hockey game.
Tradition:
Like the atmosphere in the arena, there wasn't too much visible tradition throughout the rink. This is not a knock since I understand why there isn't much. Quinnipiac only became Division I in hockey in 1998 and joined a major league in 2005 (sorry MAAC and Atlantic Hockey). Plus, the Bobcats only moved into "The Bank" in 2007, so it does make sense why the building lacks real tradition. The only real "tradition" I saw in the rink were banners commemorating MAAC championships, NCAA tournament appearances, etc.. They also have a banner with every player who scored 100 points as a Bobcat, which I think is a basketball thing, but is a nice thing to have.
But, there is still plenty of time to create a Quinnipiac Hockey tradition. It might take awhile since Yale has owned college hockey in Connecticut for a very long time. One way to fix that is to win, which is something Rand Pecknold and the Bobcats have done on a moderate level. They've been solid in the regular season, but have only made one NCAA tournament appearance (2002).
Functionality and Amenities:
While the atmosphere and the tradition at "The Bank" is something to be desired, the facility itself is most definitely not. I think the Quinnipiac facility is the best in the league (Clarkson is right behind them though). The building is beautiful and is located on the top of a hill on QU's York Hill Campus. There is plenty of parking, and the concourse and lobby are very big. The food stand and selection, and bathroom situation was pretty good as well. I liked how the seats (yes, they have seat backs Dad) were blue and the rafters were yellow. I just have a thing for having your arena being filled with your school colors.
They also have a nice big scoreboard with a screen, and there didn't seem like there was a bad seat in the house. "The Bank" also has a suite area in the corner of the rink right above the main entrance to the arena. I wasn't able to get up there, but it seemed really nice. The press box in the arena might be the best in the league, as it's right up the middle of the ice and has two levels. Another feature I liked was that you could look through glass doors in the main lobby, so you could see what's going on on the ice.
I also got a chance to sneak through the underbelly of the complex, which is nice and organized with a nice weight room and training area.
Other Thoughts:
As you can already tell, I love this facility. It's clean, big (but not too big), good amenities, and easy to navigate. I hope one day that more people go to Quinnipiac games and that a tradition begins to grow there. When that happens, "The Bank" could be one of the best places to attend a game in all of college hockey.
Here are some pictures I took:
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| You can see the suite area in the upper right corner |
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