CBA Related An NHL lockout survival guide: Where can Philadelphia hockey fans get their fix?

[Irishjim]

by Travis Hughes

If I had any money, I'd be willing to put all of it down on the NHL season starting sometime after it's scheduled October 11 start date. It doesn't really take a rocket scientist to figure that out: Even though we have several more weeks before a lockout actually begins on Sept. 15, the sense of urgency thus far from both the NHL and NHLPA has been less than satisfactory.

The owners in particular do not seem afraid to use a lockout as a bargaining chip, a tactic that seemingly assures at least some sort of work stoppage. Couple that with the fact that the gap between the two sides remains wide and the thought of hockey being played in 44 days seems slim.

So we're probably going to need to find a new hockey fix this fall, at least temporarily. Where can we turn?

American Hockey League

The Adirondack Phantoms (<a href="http://www.phantomshockey.com/Pages/Team/schedule.asp" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(190, 61, 18); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; " target="_blank">schedule/tickets from $15) would be the logical first place to turn. It's the Flyers' organization and many of our young prospects will likely be playing at the Glens Falls Civic Center in the event of a lockout. Plus, it'll be extremely interesting to see what Terry Murray does behind the bench this season.

Of course, it's a five hour drive from Philly to Glens Falls, but if you're really interested in some live hockey, it's a great trip to make on a weekend where the Phantoms have two or three home games. Pro-tips if you're planning a trip:

• Every seat in the GFCC is a good one. It's an old rink with a ton of charm -- really, it's minor league hockey in it's ideal setting. You'll be able to get walk-up tickets, so don't worry about that unless you want something specific. Parking does suck, though.
  
• Stay in Saratoga Springs. It's roughly 20 minutes south of Glens Falls, but there's a lot more to do and the nightlife is ... well, it exists. Better restaurants, better bars and probably a better overall time. That's not to say you shouldn't get dinner in Glens Falls or something, but there's just more to see in Saratoga.
  

If you're not interested or unable to make the drive north to basically Canada, games are available to stream online via the league's AHL Live package. It's $575.99 (!!!!!!!!) for the entire season, which seems utterly ridiculous compared to the NHL's less-than-$200 price tag for GameCenter Live, but alas. You can also watch individual AHL games via AHL Live for somewhere in the $6 or $7 range. Radio broadcasts are usually available for free on team sites.

There's obviously plenty of hockey closer then that, though, so let's take a look at other options.

In the AHL, the Hershey Bears (schedule/tickets) and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (schedule/tickets) are the only teams considered local, and unfortunately the Phantoms wait until after the New Year to visit either club. The Bears are the Capitals' AHL affiliate and the Pens are ... the Penguins ... affiliate. Hershey plays home games at Giant Center, a little less than two hours west of Philly. The Baby Pens play at Mohegan Sun Arena, roughly two hours and 20 minutes north of Philly.

The AHL's Albany Devils will play the WB/S Penguins at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall on Sun., Nov. 25 (tickets). That's the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and hopefully the Flyers are back in action by then, but the game wouldn't be an awful option if we're still hockey starved by then. It's a unique venue, even if we're supposed to hate both teams. The Phantoms visit in January.

Other AHL teams within four hours driving of Philadelphia: Binghamton Senators in Binghamton, N.Y.; Bridgeport Sound Tigers in Bridgeport, Conn.; Connecticut Whale in Hartford, Conn.

The AHL season begins October 12. Full schedule here in PDF form.

ECHL

Luckily for us, ECHL hockey is a bit closer to home and even more affordable than the AHL. The Trenton Titans(schedule/tickets from $15) are the Flyers' AA affiliate, playing their home games just across the Delaware in New Jersey's capital city. The trickle-down of talent will likely impact the Titans in the event of a lockout -- perhaps not as much as it will the Phantoms, but there will be displaced AHL talent looking for work in the ECHL. Everybody will feel the lockout to some extent, and Sun National Bank Center won't be a bad place to catch some hockey.

If you're on the Pennsylvania side of the river and the city, the Reading Royals (schedule/tickets from $9) might be a better option. Games are played at Sovereign Center in downtown Reading -- is downtown Reading an oxymoron? -- and the Royals are the AA affiliate of the Washington Capitals.

The Titans and Royals are playing a free preseason game at Sovereign Center on Saturday, October 6. They'll also play in the Trenton area the night prior, but there's no word if that game will be free as well.

The Elmira Jackals play in Elmira, N.Y., a four and a half hour drive from Philly. The ECHL season begins October 12. Full schedule here.

Division 1 NCAA hockey

At the Division 1 level, the Penn State Nittany Lions (schedule/tickets) will begin play as an independent this season. They'll play Vermont at the WFC in January, but their inaugural D1 season begins October 12 against the powerhouse (that's a joke) American International College Yellow Jackets.

Overall, PSU's first year features a cupcake schedule and virtually no chance of a trip to the national tournament, but it's hockey and could be a fun lockout trip. The Nittany Lions will play at Greenburg Ice Pavilion on their State College campus before moving to the brand-new Pegula Ice Arena next year.

PSU will also ice a women's team (schedule) this season at the D1 level. Their season begins October 6 at Vermont, while their home schedule kicks off October 13 vs. Syracuse.

The Princeton Tigers (schedule/tickets) play a little closer to home, and if you've never seen a game at Hobey Baker Rink on the historic Princeton University campus, you need to go whether there's an NHL lockout or not. Tickets are cheap -- ten freakin' dollars, $6 for kids -- and honestly, this might be my favorite place in the world to watch a hockey game. They play in the solid ECAC Hockey conference and kick off their home schedule Nov. 9 vs. Cornell.

Other NCAA D1 hockey programs within four hours driving of Philadelphia: Army Black Knights in West Point, N.Y.; Sacred Heart Pioneers in Milford, Conn.; Yale Bulldogs in New Haven, Conn.; Quinnipiac Bobcats in Hamden, Conn. All but Army ice both men's and women's teams at the D1 level. TD Bank Sports Center at Quinnipiac and Ingalls Rink at Yale --- aka The Whale -- are both pretty awesome in their own ways and worth a visit if you have the means.

Most D1 games can be watched online for a fee. Check conference and team websites. Also, free radio feeds are available for most, if not all, collegiate D1 games.

Other collegiate hockey

The Neumann University Knights (schedule) play in NCAA's Division 3. They're the only Philadelphia-area college that plays NCAA-sanctioned ice hockey (unless you consider Princeton in the Philly area). National champions in 2009, the Knights finished with a 15-8-3 overall record a season ago but a poor 3-6-3 record in their ECAC West conference. In the postseason, they lost the ECAC West championship game to Hobart College.

Neumann kicks off the 2012-13 season on the road against Elmira College on November 2. They play home games at IceWorks in Aston, kicking off the home schedule November 9 vs. Utica College. Neumann's women's team kicks off their home schedule November 3 in Aston vs. Buffalo State College.

At the club level, the American Collegiate Hockey Association sanctions all collegiate club-level hockey in the United States. It's a massive organization, split up into three Divisions and a ton of smaller governing conferences. It's not to be confused with NCAA-level hockey, though -- these are mostly student-run clubs at each school.

Nearly every Philly-area school has a team. A full list (note that some schools multiple teams at different levels):

• ACHA Division 1: Drexel University, Villanova University, PSU-Berks, Lehigh University, Lebanon Valley College, University of Delaware, West Chester University, Rutgers University.
  
• ACHA Division 2: University of Pennsylvania, Monmouth University, Millersville University, Muhlenberg College, The College of New Jersey, La Salle University, Saint Joseph's University, Rider University, Temple University, Rowan University, University of Delaware, Princeton University, Rutgers University, Susquehanna University, Gettysburg College, Kutztown University, University of Scranton
  
• ACHA Division 3: PSU-Brandywine, Richard Stockton College, Rowan University, Neumann University, Bryn Athyn College, Bloomsburg University, Widener University, PSU-Harrisburg, Alvernia College, Shippensburg College, Dickinson College, Wesley College, Rutgers University, West Chester University.
  

The Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association governs play between several local ACHA D1 schools, as does theEastern States Collegiate Hockey League. The Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference governs play between most local ACHA D3 schools.

Let us know if we missed any, and check the ACHA website for women's programs as well. Many ACHA games are available to be viewed online. Details here. Tickets to these games vary depending on the school but the vast majority are free.

High school hockey is also pretty damn big in the Philadelphia area. Go to virtually any local rink and you'll find details. We'll provide a guide to following European hockey later in the week.

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[murraycraven]

Living in the Reading area I go to a lot of Reading Royals games... they are fun but you never know how the Team is going to be from year to year. The Royals games are a good time and people watching at the games provides more entertainment. Nothing like grown up men and woman from Berks County wearing Zubaz Pants, hats and Royals jerseys...

[HACK55]

I played in the ACHA in the early 90s for a Philly Big 5 school and it was basically a beer league for local college kids that were in shape and who's parents gave them an allowance (hell, some of our players were not "officially" enrolled in school when they played).

Turn the calendar forward 2 decades and the ACHA has bred some really competitive hockey. Teams quasi recruit players from all over North America (the kids who can't or don't want to make the jump to JR or NCAA D1/3), they play upwards of 30 game seasons and travel all over the country to expand competition. There is a yearly national championship tournament, with several of the local Delaware Valley teams consistenlty nationally ranked. Some of the Philly area players have been included on the travel team that travels yearly to Europe to play some of the professional teams.

It's a far cry from my slap shot days of playing in the DVCHL, freezing at outdoor rinks like Bryn Athen, and long bus trips to farm country in PA and NY. It may not be professional caliber hockey, but it's free, frequent and usually attended by hot co-eds (and if you choose the right game there might even be a keg in the stands).

Edited August 29, 2012 by HACK55

[Bertmega]

Don't forget about this:

http://www.mlrh.com/2010-11-Teams.html

Ohhh I may jump on the PA Blackout bandwagon.

Lol fruitboot hockey

[idahophilly]

I'll try and follow the Phantoms but I won't pay much attention until the season starts...

[Dynamo 47]

Living in the Reading area I go to a lot of Reading Royals games... they are fun but you never know how the Team is going to be from year to year. The Royals games are a good time and people watching at the games provides more entertainment. Nothing like grown up men and woman from Berks County wearing Zubaz Pants, hats and Royals jerseys...

Hey Murray. I go to a lot of Royals games and love them. It is family friendly and great bargain as you can take a family of 4 affordably. Perhaps most important is that it exposes a lot of young kids to the game. My son started playing and it was great to see him understand what was happening on the ice and ask a lot of questions during the game.

When the lockout happens (not if) I will be taking my son and his friends to plenty of Royals games this season!

Edit: Where are you in the area? I am from scenic Spring City, home of the Pumptown Tavern. lol

Edited August 31, 2012 by Dynamo 47

[flyercanuck]

I'll go to more junior games. An NHL lockout means we get Scheifele back for sure. Of course there are teams that would benefit a lot more, and he may not make the Jets anyway (I hope)

[Podein25]

@flyercanuck

I don't think Scheifele is ready. Admittedly based on limited viewing of late, in particular the U20 Russia challenge.

But I think the Jets will be patient. Since they went out and got Jokinen, they've got the big centre they need, so that allows them to not rush Scheifele.

[flyercanuck]

@Podein25

Think Telegin makes them? I think a year in the A would be better...he could use a few more pounds. He already has NHL speed and skill though.

[murraycraven]

Hey Murray. I go to a lot of Royals games and love them. It is family friendly and great bargain as you can take a family of 4 affordably. Perhaps most important is that it exposes a lot of young kids to the game. My son started playing and it was great to see him understand what was happening on the ice and ask a lot of questions during the game.

When the lockout happens (not if) I will be taking my son and his friends to plenty of Royals games this season!

Edit: Where are you in the area? I am from scenic Spring City, home of the Pumptown Tavern. lol

It is a great family event and it is entertaining hockey. I live in Wyomissing... what Team does your son play for? I Coach locally...

[Podein25]

Think Telegin makes them? I think a year in the A would be better...he could use a few more pounds. He already has NHL speed and skill though.

I'm inclined to agree that the AHL is the best spot for him right now. I could see them giving him a look though and a call-up in the event of injuries. He's listed as a centre, but can he play wing? It would be interesting to see him and Burms on a line together. Nice mix of skills, size and moxie there.

I'd like to know a bit more about Telegin. Do you think he's a future top-6 forward in the NHL? He's not drafted in my dynasty league...

[jammer2]

@Podein25 I think Scheifele is right on the cusp of making the Jets. If there was no lock-out I'd put his chances at 70% of making the Jets opening day roster. I think they are going to make Burmistrov into a winger, allowing a spot for Schef's.

[Podein25]

@jammer2

I hope you are wrong about Burmistrov. I need him to stay a centre, get some top-6 minutes and some PP time!

The kid has great offensive skills. It would be a shame to see him "Staaled" into a checker. Kind of similar situation to Cooter.

[jammer2]

@Podein25 I don't think you can take a kid with Burmistrov's kind of talent and make him into a checker, that would hurt his development and the Jet's franchise as a whole. Sure, as a first couple years, you slate him where you can, and it let's him learn defense in the NHL, not a bad thing at all....but long term, this kid ooze's talent, and the Jet's know that...he will be top 6 eventually. I actually think it was a mistake for the Jets to sign Jokkinen, it will stall the developement of the kids.

[Vegas Flyer]

Herte in Vegas all we have is the LV Wranglers....a level below the Phantoms....I NEED THE FLYERS!!!!!

[Podein25]

I actually think it was a mistake for the Jets to sign Jokkinen, it will stall the development of the kids.

Yeah I see your point. It's a bit of a catch-22. They needed size up the middle and Jokkinen is that, plus he's gotten himself into shape, so I can see the thinking there. Definitely hurts Burms in the short-term.

[flyercanuck]

@Podein25

Telegin is tall, fast, has great hands and a good shot. He needs to add muscle, and learn to play a "team" game. Ya, he's top 6 calibre for sure.

[Podein25]

... learn to play a "team" game

That's the red flag right there. Big one. How is his vision and hockey IQ?

Thanks for the free scouting reports!