2008 Woodie Awards
Ice arena needs improvement in order for Falcons to compete
By: Sean Shapiro
Issue date: 3/17/08 Section: Sports
Call me crazy, but when choosing a place to play collegiate hockey or any other sport, you want a venue that somewhat reflects your skills.
For Falcon hockey, which boasts two NHL draftees and a Hobey Baker hopeful in senior Derek Whitmore, they play in a cardboard box of an arena that hurts the program more than it helps. The rink, which was built in 1968, is something you would expect to find in a small town on a low budget, not in a Division I college hockey program.
The perfect example of how the venue can fuel the program was seen this weekend in Oxford at the University of Miami. The Goggin Ice Center was built in 2006 at the cost of $34.6 million. The main surface, Steve "Coach" Cady Arena, is a palace in the college hockey world.
Miami's hockey program has taken off since the early 2000's as they had a quarterfinal berth in last year's NCAA tournament and were ranked first in the country earlier this season, when they ironically were beaten by BG in one of the worst venues in the CCHA BGSU ice arena.
However, Miami's previous history to this century includes a list of failures in CCHA play not finishing higher than third any time before 2000 and have yet to see a big time NHL star come from the program.
BG on the other hand has won a national title, granted it was in 1984, two players on the 1980 Miracle on Ice Olympic team and one of the NHL's bigger stars Los Angeles Kings captain and Stanley Cup Winner Rob Blake.
Looking solely at the two programs history one would assume BG should have the stronger present day program. However the Goggin Center is what puts Miami in the top-10 in the country and the BGSU Ice Arena is what holds BG in the middle of the pack in the CCHA.
It's conceivable that if BG was to have an ice arena close to the quality of "The Cade" (as we've dubbed it), they could have a top five program within five to six years. Currently, for any big recruit that has a choice between BG and another program, the Ice Arena here has got to be a big detriment to Bowling Green hockey's image.
For Falcon hockey, which boasts two NHL draftees and a Hobey Baker hopeful in senior Derek Whitmore, they play in a cardboard box of an arena that hurts the program more than it helps. The rink, which was built in 1968, is something you would expect to find in a small town on a low budget, not in a Division I college hockey program.
The perfect example of how the venue can fuel the program was seen this weekend in Oxford at the University of Miami. The Goggin Ice Center was built in 2006 at the cost of $34.6 million. The main surface, Steve "Coach" Cady Arena, is a palace in the college hockey world.
Miami's hockey program has taken off since the early 2000's as they had a quarterfinal berth in last year's NCAA tournament and were ranked first in the country earlier this season, when they ironically were beaten by BG in one of the worst venues in the CCHA BGSU ice arena.
However, Miami's previous history to this century includes a list of failures in CCHA play not finishing higher than third any time before 2000 and have yet to see a big time NHL star come from the program.
BG on the other hand has won a national title, granted it was in 1984, two players on the 1980 Miracle on Ice Olympic team and one of the NHL's bigger stars Los Angeles Kings captain and Stanley Cup Winner Rob Blake.
Looking solely at the two programs history one would assume BG should have the stronger present day program. However the Goggin Center is what puts Miami in the top-10 in the country and the BGSU Ice Arena is what holds BG in the middle of the pack in the CCHA.
It's conceivable that if BG was to have an ice arena close to the quality of "The Cade" (as we've dubbed it), they could have a top five program within five to six years. Currently, for any big recruit that has a choice between BG and another program, the Ice Arena here has got to be a big detriment to Bowling Green hockey's image.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Roger
posted 3/17/08 @ 10:17 AM EST
You have no idea what you are talking about and asking for when it comes to gutting a facility and starting over like that, the costs, the logistics, and all of oyur changes. (Continued…)
who cares
posted 3/17/08 @ 11:05 AM EST
"The Cade" ??? Really?
First of all, it's "The Goggin". After that, its "The Cady".
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