BY JAMES RUMSCHLAG, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
We’ve all been there, and we all love going. The St. Bonaventure hockey games. The Bonnies games are played at the rec center down in Olean proper, but what if Bonaventure had its own rink? This would help save some bit of gas for students who live on or close to campus. Plus, it could offer winter time activities for students, such as ice skating.
The Olean rec center is in a good location, but it is a small parking lot, and sometimes a pain to get there and leave from there. If Bonaventure had its own on-campus hockey rink, students living on campus wouldn’t have to worry about looking for a parking space. The team also wouldn’t have to travel for practice or home games, saving money on transportation. The away teams already have to travel for games anyways, so why not give them an easier location to come to?
Even though the hockey team is a club sport, it could help to give more students a chance of wanting to try out for the team, as they do not need to look for a way to get to Olean if they don’t have a ride. With an on-campus rink, there could be one of two possibilities on campus.
The rink could be either open or indoor. An open rink is an outdoor rink that is mostly used for special games. One example is the NHL Winter Classic. Outdoor rinks can be used for exhibition matches, or even just team practice.
The negative of an outdoor rink is having to provide seating for every game, and it also gets really cold in the winter. The negative of an indoor rink, would be the cost of maintenance and the cost of construction. Though these costs will be setbacks for pricing for a bit of time, it will be worth it all in the end.
Also coming with an on-campus rink, could also be open for other activities. One such activity could be open skating to students. Especially to those who live closer to the University rather than the Olean rec center. Bonaventure could also help host local tournaments for any high school that has a hockey team in the area, or a semi-professional hockey team.
When hockey season is over, and the rink is drained, it can be used for more intramural sports, open rollerblading for all and can be used miscellaneously.
Lastly, in my own opinion, St. Bonaventure University having an on campus rink will also benefit Alfred as we would not have to share a rink.
