The Atlantic Hockey Championship will remain at Rochester’s Blue Cross Arena through the 2018-19 season Atlantic Hockey Commissioner Robert DeGregorio announced today. The league has finalized terms of a three-year deal with the Blue Cross Arena after operating on a year-to-year basis the last few seasons.
The Atlantic Hockey Tournament semifinal and championship games have been played at the Blue Cross Arena since 2007, with campus sites serving as the championship location prior to 2007. Since moving to a neutral site, the tournament has continued to grow, with the league experiencing record-setting attendance numbers the last two seasons.
“We couldn’t be happier to have this deal done with the Blue Cross Arena” said Commissioner DeGregorio. “We have been able to make the Atlantic Hockey Championships a staple of the Rochester-area in our 10 years there and are thrilled we can continue our partnership with the arena, Jeff Calkins, and the City of Rochester for another three years.”
The City of Rochester recently announced that SMG, who has managed the arena since 2000 and whose contract was set to expire on September 30th, will remain as the operator of the facility. Along with a new contract, SMG will also begin the process of upgrading the arena, using more than $10 million in state funding to target areas that need improvements.
“This commitment by the Atlantic Hockey Conference is great news for the City of Rochester and the Blue Cross Arena” said Blue Cross Arena General Manager Jeff Calkins. “We value our partnership with the league and the trust they place in SMG and the City of Rochester to host a prestigious NCAA Division I hockey tournament in our community.”
The Atlantic Hockey Championship heads to the Blue Cross Arena on March 17 and 18, 2017 for the semifinals and finals.
