Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Canisius, Sabres Partner on New Rink

Golden Griffins will call new HARBORcenter home beginning in 2014-15.

Canisius, Sabres Partner on New Rink
A rendering of HARBORcenter, which is under construction in Buffalo.

The Canisius Golden Griffins will play and practice at the Buffalo Sabres’ new HARBORcenter arena, the school and team announced Tuesday. Construction is already underway on the project, which will be located across from the Sabres’ Niagara Center, and will be complete in September 2014.

“This is an exciting day for our hockey program,” Canisius head coach Dave Smith said. “Partnering with the Buffalo Sabres in a world-class hockey facility further illustrates the commitment to Division I college hockey by Canisius. This top-notch arena will expose fans to a high level of hockey at a number of levels. It will be a tremendous resource with which to recruit, train and develop hockey players.”

More on Facilities: First Class, By Design

HARBORcenter is the latest in a long line of new and renovated facilities around college hockey, ensuring that players and fans enjoy the very best amenities. New rinks are currently in the works at Penn State, RIT, Nebraska-Omaha, Colgate and now Canisius. Significant renovations are either in progress or recently completed at Providence, St. Cloud State, Michigan, Merrimack and elsewhere.

Emphasis on Development

For players, the new and upgraded facilities not only offer the comfort of state-of-the-art locker rooms, but they also exhibit a commitment to player development in the form of weight rooms, video rooms, shooting bays and other features.

Canisius will have its own 1,300 square foot locker room in HARBORcenter, which features two NHL-sized rinks. The Golden Griffins will also have a private athletic training area and access to the Center of Excellence, a high-performance training facility designed specfically for hockey.

Canisius has competed in Division I since 1998 and has played home games in the Buffalo State Sports Arena since 1999. The Griffs made their first NCAA Tournament appearance this past season after capturing the 2013 Atlantic Hockey Tournament championship.