March 22, 2006
BROCK HOCKEY MOVES TO NEW DIGS
ST. CATHARINES - The phrase "home-ice advantage" will have an entirely different meaning for the Brock Badgers hockey programs when the puck drops on the 2006/07 season. Both the men's and women's teams have a brand new rink to play in - the state-of-the-art Seymour-Hannah Sports & Entertainment Centre in St. Catharines, ON. Earlier this week, the university agreed to a five-year deal with the City of St. Catharines to house both Badger teams in the sparkling four-rink complex, which opened its doors this past September following two years of construction. It's a plan that's been in the works for years and for Brock, it means that both teams will be able to grow their programs under one roof.
"We're excited that this has finally come to fruition," Lorne Adams, Brock's Director of Athletics, said at Thursday's press conference to announce the deal. "This is a win-win situation for both of us (the university and the City).
"We're all about the pursuit of excellence. Now, we can offer a showcase arena for our showcase teams."
Both Badger squads will play their home games on Rink #1, which holds up to 1,500 spectators. It's a significant upgrade from the previous Brock homes. The men's team originally used to play out of the St. Catharines Jack Gatecliffe Arena but in 1981, they took up shop in the Thorold Arena and have been playing out of that rink for the past 25 years. Brock's women got their varsity status in the 2000/01 season and after three years of hosting games in different locations throughout the region, the Badgers secured the use of the Merritton Arena for the past three years. While both old barns definitely had a certain charm, the chance to play and practice on the bigger, better ice at Seymour-Hannah has the players from both programs pumped.
"We couldn't even all fit on the bench at Merritton," fourth-year forward Heather Goemans said with a smile. "We would have to squeeze in.
"This is really exciting. The ice is a lot faster and it will be easier to practice here."
"This will be our home," said fourth-year Badgers defenceman Dallas Beaton. "In Thorold, it wasn't our rink. It was the Thorold Blackhawks rink. This is our place."
"It's definitely uplifting. This is a first-class facility and now it's home to first-class players. It gives you that feeling of professionalism that has maybe been lacking."
Traffic through the Seymour-Hannah Sports & Entertainment Centre has been heavy since the doors opened last fall and the expectation is that with so many bodies moving in and out of the complex, both Brock teams will get some visibility that just wasn't possible before. A whole new fan base will be exposed to a high calibre of hockey, which is fitting for a region that has always supported the game. It was always the City's intention to have a competitive team play out of the rink and when the OUA season gets underway, they'll have two.
"This is exactly what we envisioned when we built this," said Ron Zizman, Director of Recreation and Community Services for the City.
Zizman joked that the City had done their part, now it's up to the Badgers to bring home a couple of national championships next year. While that may be stretching it a bit, the move to Seymour-Hannah for the next five years (the lease agreement also has two additional five-year options) does have other advantages. The complex will certainly help in the recruiting effort, for one. The immaculate ice also means fans could see a slightly more exciting, up-tempo product.
There have been OUA games played on the rink already, including the successful Women's Final Four earlier in the month. Though the Badgers missed out on hosting the championship with an opening-round road playoff loss to the Guelph Gryphons, the four competing teams - the OUA champion Laurier Golden Hawks, the Toronto Varsity Blues, the Queen's Golden Gaels and the Gryphons - raved about the facilities.
Brock's women did play two exhibition games against the NCAA's Union College on Rink #1 back in December. At the time, head coach Todd Erskine was well aware that a move to Seymour-Hannah was in the works but he couldn't divulge anything to his troops.
"The players, their eyes just lit up," Erskine said of their first go-round on the ice. "They kept bugging me, "˜when are we moving here?'"
That would be next September.
- OUA -
(Photo: From left to right, Brock forward Heather Goemans, St. Catharines Deputy Mayor Sue Erskine, City of St. Catharines Director of Recreation and Community Services Ron Zizman and Badgers men's team captain Dallas Beaton.)
"We're excited that this has finally come to fruition," Lorne Adams, Brock's Director of Athletics, said at Thursday's press conference to announce the deal. "This is a win-win situation for both of us (the university and the City).
"We're all about the pursuit of excellence. Now, we can offer a showcase arena for our showcase teams."
Both Badger squads will play their home games on Rink #1, which holds up to 1,500 spectators. It's a significant upgrade from the previous Brock homes. The men's team originally used to play out of the St. Catharines Jack Gatecliffe Arena but in 1981, they took up shop in the Thorold Arena and have been playing out of that rink for the past 25 years. Brock's women got their varsity status in the 2000/01 season and after three years of hosting games in different locations throughout the region, the Badgers secured the use of the Merritton Arena for the past three years. While both old barns definitely had a certain charm, the chance to play and practice on the bigger, better ice at Seymour-Hannah has the players from both programs pumped.
"We couldn't even all fit on the bench at Merritton," fourth-year forward Heather Goemans said with a smile. "We would have to squeeze in.
"This is really exciting. The ice is a lot faster and it will be easier to practice here."
"This will be our home," said fourth-year Badgers defenceman Dallas Beaton. "In Thorold, it wasn't our rink. It was the Thorold Blackhawks rink. This is our place."
"It's definitely uplifting. This is a first-class facility and now it's home to first-class players. It gives you that feeling of professionalism that has maybe been lacking."
Traffic through the Seymour-Hannah Sports & Entertainment Centre has been heavy since the doors opened last fall and the expectation is that with so many bodies moving in and out of the complex, both Brock teams will get some visibility that just wasn't possible before. A whole new fan base will be exposed to a high calibre of hockey, which is fitting for a region that has always supported the game. It was always the City's intention to have a competitive team play out of the rink and when the OUA season gets underway, they'll have two.
"This is exactly what we envisioned when we built this," said Ron Zizman, Director of Recreation and Community Services for the City.
Zizman joked that the City had done their part, now it's up to the Badgers to bring home a couple of national championships next year. While that may be stretching it a bit, the move to Seymour-Hannah for the next five years (the lease agreement also has two additional five-year options) does have other advantages. The complex will certainly help in the recruiting effort, for one. The immaculate ice also means fans could see a slightly more exciting, up-tempo product.
There have been OUA games played on the rink already, including the successful Women's Final Four earlier in the month. Though the Badgers missed out on hosting the championship with an opening-round road playoff loss to the Guelph Gryphons, the four competing teams - the OUA champion Laurier Golden Hawks, the Toronto Varsity Blues, the Queen's Golden Gaels and the Gryphons - raved about the facilities.
Brock's women did play two exhibition games against the NCAA's Union College on Rink #1 back in December. At the time, head coach Todd Erskine was well aware that a move to Seymour-Hannah was in the works but he couldn't divulge anything to his troops.
"The players, their eyes just lit up," Erskine said of their first go-round on the ice. "They kept bugging me, "˜when are we moving here?'"
That would be next September.
- OUA -
(Photo: From left to right, Brock forward Heather Goemans, St. Catharines Deputy Mayor Sue Erskine, City of St. Catharines Director of Recreation and Community Services Ron Zizman and Badgers men's team captain Dallas Beaton.)
