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Smead Rink at WNEC

F

Fishman'81

Black Bear since D-2
Am thinking about making a two-hour trip to see a game there, and can find little information and few pics online. To those who have been there for a game: what was your experience of the venue in terms of sight-lines, attendance, etc.?

Thanks!
 
Re: Smead Rink at WNEC

Smead is a dump. State rinked leased to a private operator. Hard to get to from anywhere. Looks like it is 1972 inside and out. Not much capacity. Make sure you bundle up. Been there too many times to make excuses for the place.
 
Re: Smead Rink at WNEC

EastCoastBias said:
Smead is a dump. State rinked leased to a private operator. Hard to get to from anywhere. Looks like it is 1972 inside and out. Not much capacity. Make sure you bundle up. Been there too many times to make excuses for the place.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for your input.

I don't really mind it being cold, dated and dirty, as long as there is decent seating that allows me to see the ice. I hate having to sit too low; do the bleachers extend high enough to allow a good view over the glass from the top row?

It appears to have a small capacity; maybe 272 people fill up most of the available seats..? (We'll get there an hour early if we go, but I'm curious as to your take on that question.)

Again, thank you for posting.
 
Re: Smead Rink at WNEC

Fishman'81 said:
Thanks very much for your input.

I don't really mind it being cold, dated and dirty, as long as there is decent seating that allows me to see the ice. I hate having to sit too low; do the bleachers extend high enough to allow a good view over the glass from the top row?

It appears to have a small capacity; maybe 272 people fill up most of the available seats..? (We'll get there an hour early if we go, but I'm curious as to your take on that question.)

Again, thank you for posting.
Click to expand...

You'll be fine watching the game. Bleachers allow you to watch above the glass if you sit/stand in the upper half. You and zamboni dirver might the only people in the rink if you get there an hour early, but you should be fine either way. Don't expect the heat to be on inside as the lessee scrimps on cost wherever possible. If there are humid or warmer weather conditions at game time, the glass may get fogged up. Again, scrimping on the dehumidifier operation cost, but for a college game maybe it will be turned on. Plenty of parking is a plus. Be careful making the left hand turn out of the lot back onto Roosevelt Ave though. It can be a doozy. Good luck with your trip.
 
Re: Smead Rink at WNEC

East Coast, thank you so much. This was exactly the information I was looking for. (I don't mind watching a game in a dumpy barn, as long as I can see the dam thing.)

It's supposed to warm up for the weekend, so being able to secure as high a seat as possible might be the difference between a worthwhile trip and a complete waste of time.

(Just curious: do they charge admission? Are there any concessions available..? And does WNEC have skating cheerleaders??? :P)
 
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Re: Smead Rink at WNEC

ECB, your tips resulted in us making the trip and having a good time, and thanks again... But perhaps you were being a little harsh in your assessment of this place?

Yup, it was as cold as Grim Death in there on a relatively warm night, but no more so than a number of little rinks I've visited, including D-1's Lawler at Merrimack. We bundled-up as you recommended, and were fine. (I have to admit that is was a few degrees warmer OUTSIDE, though!)

I never eat arena-food, but The Warden always does, and she raved about the concessions at Smead. She loved the clam chowder and the fresh-tasting fries, and they were amazingly cheap. (I'm not giving the cuisine 5 stars exactly, but I can tell you that it beat the 4,000-seat Utica Aud's by a country mile... Don't know how starved I'd have to be to eat the crap there, and at twice the price.)

Anyway, the entire Smead experience was a fun one. The place was easy to find, and it didn't cost us a dime to either park or to watch the game. The bathrooms were clean, the lobby was warm, and there were a lot of interesting local fans to talk with. Most importantly, we had our pick of seats, and saw the game well.. It was absolutely worth the 5-hour round-trip, especially when I factor-in the Utica win.

Guys like you who bother to post helpful info to strangers are what makes sites like this one worthwhile. Without some locally-knowledgeable input to process, we would probably have stayed home to watch football, which would have been a much lesser experience than that which we enjoyed tonight.

Thank you again, and keep up the good work for some other clueless sap down the line in another season. It's very helpful stuff.
 
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Re: Smead Rink at WNEC

Fishman'81 said:
ECB, your tips resulted in us making the trip and having a good time, and thanks again... But perhaps you were being a little harsh in your assessment of this place?

Yup, it was as cold as Grim Death in there on a relatively warm night, but no more so than a number of little rinks I've visited, including D-1's Lawler at Merrimack. We bundled-up as you recommended, and were fine. (I have to admit that is was a few degrees warmer OUTSIDE, though!)

I never eat arena-food, but The Warden always does, and she raved about the concessions at Smead. She loved the clam chowder and the fresh-tasting fries, and they were amazingly cheap. (I'm not giving the cuisine 5 stars exactly, but I can tell you that it beat the 4,000-seat Utica Aud's by a country mile... Don't know how starved I'd have to be to eat the crap there, and at twice the price.)

Anyway, the entire Smead experience was a fun one. The place was easy to find, and it didn't cost us a dime to either park or to watch the game. The bathrooms were clean, the lobby was warm, and there were a lot of interesting local fans to talk with. Most importantly, we had our pick of seats, and saw the game well.. It was absolutely worth the 5-hour round-trip, especially when I factor-in the Utica win.

Guys like you who bother to post helpful info to strangers are what makes sites like this one worthwhile. Without some locally-knowledgeable input to process, we would probably have stayed home to watch football, which would have been a much lesser experience than that which we enjoyed tonight.

Thank you again, and keep up the good work for some other clueless sap down the line in another season. It's very helpful stuff.
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Have to agree with most of this.

For a town rink, it was fairly nice. Locally, i'd put it ahead of New Hartford and maybe on par with Whitestown. Outside of the building could be mistaken for a power plant or a manufacturing facility. the room the rink is housed in seriously looks like an old warehouse.

At least the temperature of this place was tolerable. Cortland was downright brick on friday.... Absolutely freezing. Cortland makes the Cooler look like the equator and that's putting it lightly. This place was about as chilly as Whitestown typically is. Not too bad.
 
Re: Smead Rink at WNEC

Cortland was colder than Hobart..? Is there even a thermometer that registers that low?!?!?

:eek:

I'm giving away my age here, but when you factor-in the aluminum bleachers and the snow/wind blowing into the "arena" off Seneca Lake a few years back, Geneva was a brutal place to watch a game. (Kinda like what my mom describes about attending Colby games outdoors when she was young.) Still, the only reason I don't go back to Hobart is that there is THERE IS NOT ONE DECENT SEAT IN THE HOUSE! That place is easily the worst hockey-venue I've ever seen.

I was fine with Smead, primarily because I could see the ice pretty well while standing on the top row, and because I had only to compete with 108 fans for a good seat. The Warden liked the food, too, which is key in getting her to happily do half the driving. I'll go back, the next time UC plays there.
 
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Re: Smead Rink at WNEC

Fishman'81 said:
Cortland was colder than Hobart..? Is there even a thermometer that registers that low?!?!?

:eek:

I'm giving away my age here, but when you factor-in the aluminum bleachers and the snow/wind blowing into the "arena" off Seneca Lake a few years back, Geneva was a brutal place to watch a game. (Kinda like what my mom describes about attending Colby games outdoors when she was young.) Still, the only reason I don't go back to Hobart is that there is THERE IS NOT ONE DECENT SEAT IN THE HOUSE! That place is easily the worst hockey-venue I've ever seen.

I was fine with Smead, primarily because I could see the ice pretty well while standing on the top row, and because I had only to compete with 108 fans for a good seat. The Warden liked the food, too, which is key in getting her to happily do half the driving. I'll go back, the next time UC plays there.
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The thing i hate about the Cooler is that it's really a tough landgrab to get a good view of the ice. you need to be standing on the glass on the gate end of the rink, or in the corner at the opposite end of the bleachers to have a prayer of seeing everything. I always make sure i am where i need to be when we get about 20 mins to gametime. subsequently, i'm back out 6-7 mins before the start of each period to keep my spot.
 
Re: Smead Rink at WNEC

Agreed ..And that was my point.

It's a terrible place to attempt to actually watch a hockey game, because you simply can't do that there. There is nowhere in that place that affords one a good view of the game.

I don't envy you trying to call one in that dump.
 
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Re: Smead Rink at WNEC

Fishman'81 said:
Cortland was colder than Hobart..? Is there even a thermometer that registers that low?!?!?

:eek:

I'm giving away my age here, but when you factor-in the aluminum bleachers and the snow/wind blowing into the "arena" off Seneca Lake a few years back, Geneva was a brutal place to watch a game. (Kinda like what my mom describes about attending Colby games outdoors when she was young.) Still, the only reason I don't go back to Hobart is that there is THERE IS NOT ONE DECENT SEAT IN THE HOUSE! That place is easily the worst hockey-venue I've ever seen.

I was fine with Smead, primarily because I could see the ice pretty well while standing on the top row, and because I had only to compete with 108 fans for a good seat. The Warden liked the food, too, which is key in getting her to happily do half the driving. I'll go back, the next time UC plays there.
Click to expand...
I played in a outdoor rink in prep school,cover only, and we practiced AT NIGHT, because we played our games at night,our coach was unreal,..cccccccold for sure....ps we also used no nets on the goals because it wasted 7 minutes of practice time taking the pucks out of the nets,he was a serious coach
 
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Re: Smead Rink at WNEC

Fishman'81 said:
Cortland was colder than Hobart..? Is there even a thermometer that registers that low?!?!?

:eek:

I'm giving away my age here, but when you factor-in the aluminum bleachers and the snow/wind blowing into the "arena" off Seneca Lake a few years back, Geneva was a brutal place to watch a game. (Kinda like what my mom describes about attending Colby games outdoors when she was young.) Still, the only reason I don't go back to Hobart is that there is THERE IS NOT ONE DECENT SEAT IN THE HOUSE! That place is easily the worst hockey-venue I've ever seen.

I was fine with Smead, primarily because I could see the ice pretty well while standing on the top row, and because I had only to compete with 108 fans for a good seat. The Warden liked the food, too, which is key in getting her to happily do half the driving. I'll go back, the next time UC plays there.
Click to expand...

You are giving away your age! I played at Colby in 1960 and there was an enclosed arena then, so she must have been there in the 50's. Hebron Academy and Holderness School had open sided rinks at that time too.
 
Re: Smead Rink at WNEC

oldguard said:
You are giving away your age! I played at Colby in 1960 and there was an enclosed arena then, so she must have been there in the 50's. Hebron Academy and Holderness School had open sided rinks at that time too.
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6 degreees of separation....if you read my post above, wow,my roommate at prep school, The Hill school, went to Colby and was a goalie there, and I believe the coach that I wrote about above Thomas Eccelston Jr's son coached at the Holderness School??
 
Re: Smead Rink at WNEC

oldguard said:
You are giving away your age! I played at Colby in 1960 and there was an enclosed arena then, so she must have been there in the 50's. Hebron Academy and Holderness School had open sided rinks at that time too.
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Yes, she went there to watch her BF play during the Fabulous 50's, looong before I was born! :D

If I remember correctly, she said that the ice was contained by low wooden supports, that there were rickety wooden boards above them, and that everyone leaned on those boards to watch the game, and right on top of the ice.

She also remarked to me that she had to pay close attention to the game for fear of being killed by errant pucks, while the snow flew across the ice... All day-games, too, since they didn't have any lights installed back then.

That was primal hockey long before the hyped-up outdoor events of today, and Colby charged no admittance fee then... Sounds like a lot more fun than paying $80 to sit in a nose-bleed seat in some huge open-air arena these days.
 
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Re: Smead Rink at WNEC

Fishman'81 said:
I'm giving away my age here, but when you factor-in the aluminum bleachers and the snow/wind blowing into the "arena" off Seneca Lake a few years back, Geneva was a brutal place to watch a game. (Kinda like what my mom describes about attending Colby games outdoors when she was young.) Still, the only reason I don't go back to Hobart is that there is THERE IS NOT ONE DECENT SEAT IN THE HOUSE! That place is easily the worst hockey-venue I've ever seen.
Click to expand...

With the largest pressbox in the history of Mankind.
 
Re: Smead Rink at WNEC

Not surprised to hear that it's pretty spacious and allows a good view... Seems that the broadcasters there can always describe the Hobart games better than any of the paying-fans can actually see 'em. (Which is another reason to stay home and settle for listening to them. :) )
 
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