Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena

Last updated
Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena
Cardinal Country
Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena
Address167 Rugar Street
LocationPlattsburgh, NY 12901
Coordinates 44°41′05″N73°28′39″W / 44.684815°N 73.477381°W / 44.684815; -73.477381
Owner State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Capacity 1,924
Tenants
Plattsburgh Cardinals
Website
gocardinalsports.com


The Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena is a 1,924-seat indoor arena; part of the Plattsburgh State Fieldhouse. It is commonly known as "Cardinal Country."

The arena was officially changed to its current namesake in 1987 to honor longtime New York State Senator Ronald. B. Stafford, who retired in 2002 after more than 30 years of public service and support of the College and the North Country.

The facility underwent a $2.1 million construction project in Summer 2008 to install 1,517 theatre-style seats and 407 standing-rail positions, move the penalty box and scorer's table opposite the team benches, improve spectators’ navigation throughout the building, expand the pressbox, mount two new light-emitting diode (LED) scoreboards and add hard-wired and wireless Internet connections. The previous year, inefficient light bulbs were replaced with halogen-light fixtures and the walls were painted.

The ice surface is 185 feetx85 feet, surrounded by new professional-height, seamless, pro-tempered glass and boards. The arena also boasts a state-of-the-art sound system.

Both the Plattsburgh State men's and women's ice hockey programs have renovated locker rooms and fully equipped athletic training facilities easily accessible from the ice. Some of the amenities include individual padded locker stalls, flat-screen TV, video equipment, stereo-sound system and changing rooms.

The school record of 4,000 fans (before the renovation) has been reached on 10 occasions.

International exhibition matches against teams from Russia and Sweden have been played in front of sellout crowds at the arena. One of the nation's finest facilities for NCAA Division III ice hockey, the Arena has been the site of six NCAA Frozen Four events—three men's and three women's--and numerous national and conference tournament games. [1]

On the women's side, the Plattsburgh State Cardinals set a Division III regular-season attendance record on Feb. 8, 2006 with 1,736 in a 4–1 win over two-time defending national champion Middlebury — that record stood until Jan. 22, 2011; and the 2007 NCAA championship game outdrew its male counterpart by 300.

More recently, the women have captured back to back national championships in the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons. These wins give the Cardinals a total of four national championships, setting the record for the most titles in Division III women's ice hockey.

The women's ice hockey team played its first game in the arena on Nov. 9, 2001, defeating Elmira 2–0. The Cardinals have a 182-17-12 all-time record at home for an eye-popping .891 win percentage.

During the 2005–06 season, the Cardinals led NCAA Division III women's ice hockey attendance with 7,645 fans for 17 home dates, or a 449 average.

High school and youth hockey games are also played here.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State University of New York at Plattsburgh</span> Public university in Plattsburgh, New York, U.S.

The State University of New York at Plattsburgh is a public university in Plattsburgh, New York. The university was founded in 1889 and officially opened in 1890. The university is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. SUNY Plattsburgh has 5,109 students, of whom 4,680 are undergraduates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Cross Arena</span> Multi-purpose indoor arena in Rochester, New York, U.S.

Blue Cross Arena, also known as the War Memorial, is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Rochester, New York. For hockey and lacrosse, its seating capacity is 10,662. The arena opened on October 18, 1955, as the Rochester Community War Memorial. It was renovated in the mid-1990s and reopened as The Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial, on September 18, 1998. It is home to the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League and the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savage Arena</span> Multi-purpose arena in Toledo, Ohio

Savage Arena is a multi-purpose arena located in Toledo, Ohio, on the campus of the University of Toledo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilton Coliseum</span> 14,057-seat multi-purpose arena in Ames, Iowa

James H. Hilton Coliseum, commonly Hilton Coliseum, is a 14,267-seat multi-purpose arena located in Ames, Iowa. The arena opened in 1971. It is home to the Iowa State University Cyclones men's and women's basketball teams, wrestling, gymnastics and volleyball teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ridder Arena</span> Indoor ice rink in Minnesota

Ridder Arena is an indoor ice rink at the University of Minnesota, and home to the Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey team. The arena is adjacent to the men's 3M Arena at Mariucci. It was completed in 2002, and includes the connected Baseline Tennis Center for the men's and women's tennis teams. It was the first facility in the United States built specifically for college women's ice hockey, and has hosted the NCAA Women's Frozen Four on four occasions. The arena is named for benefactors Robert Ridder and Kathleen Ridder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navy Midshipmen</span> Sports teams of the United States Naval Academy

The Navy Midshipmen are the athletic teams that represent the United States Naval Academy. The academy sponsors 36 varsity sports teams and 12 club sport teams. Both men's and women's teams are called Navy Midshipmen or "Mids". They participate in the NCAA's Division I, as a non-football member of the Patriot League, a football-only member of the American Athletic Conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), and a member of the Collegiate Sprint Football League (men), Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (men), Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges, Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League (men), Mid-Atlantic Squash Conference (men) and Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association. Navy is also one of approximately 300 members of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Vulcans</span>

The California Vulcans are the intercollegiate sports teams and players that represent Pennsylvania Western University California, located in California, Pennsylvania. The Vulcans participate in the NCAA Division II in all sports and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in most sports. The school colors are Red and Black. The mascot of California is Blaze the Vulcan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RPI Engineers</span> Sports teams of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The RPI Engineers are composed of 21 teams representing Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's basketball, cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, and track and field. Men's sports include baseball, football, and golf. Women's sports include field hockey, and softball. The Engineers compete in the NCAA Division III and are members of the Liberty League for all sports except ice hockey, which competes in NCAA Division I, as a member of ECAC Hockey.

The LaHaye Ice Center is a 4,000-seat ice arena located in Lynchburg, Virginia on the campus of Liberty University. The ice arena is also the home to the Liberty Flames men's and women's ice hockey teams that currently compete in the American Collegiate Hockey Association as independent teams in the ACHA Division I. In addition to LU's varsity teams, the Liberty JV team, Virginia Military Institute, and Lynchburg College teams at the ACHA Division II level playing in the Blue Ridge Hockey Conference also use the arena. And for LU's synchronized skating team. The ice arena is also used for various recreational uses by students and local public for ice skating, figure skating, ice hockey, and broomball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey</span> College ice hockey team

The Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey team is an NCAA Division I college ice hockey program that represents Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Mavericks compete in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). Their home arena is the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center located in downtown Mankato, Minnesota.

The UConn Huskies men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the University of Connecticut. The Huskies are a member of the Hockey East conference. The Huskies play in the on-campus Toscano Family Ice Forum, having moved from the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut during the 2022–23 season.

The Laura Hurd Award is an annual award given to the top player in NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey. It is given by the American Hockey Coaches Association. It was known as the Division III Women's Player of the Year Award prior to 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity Bantams</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Trinity College

The Trinity College Bantams are the varsity and club athletic teams of Trinity College, a selective liberal arts college located in Hartford, Connecticut. Trinity's varsity teams compete in the New England Small College Athletic Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. The College offers 27 varsity teams, plus club sports, intramural sports.

NCAA Division III women's ice hockey is a college ice hockey competition governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as part of the NCAA Division III. Sixty-seven teams competed in NCAA Division III women's hockey across eight conferences in the 2023–24 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Framingham State Rams</span>

The Framingham State Rams are composed of 14 varsity teams representing Framingham State University in intercollegiate athletics. All teams compete at the NCAA Division III level and all teams compete in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pit (arena)</span> Basketball arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

The Pit is an indoor arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico, serving primarily as the home venue of the University of New Mexico Lobos basketball teams. The facility opened in 1966 as University Arena but gained the nickname "The Pit" due to its innovative subterranean design, with its playing floor 37 feet (11 m) below street level. The arena is located on the UNM South Campus and has a seating capacity of 15,411 for basketball and up to 13,480 for concerts, with 40 luxury suites and 365 club seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Delventhal</span> American ice hockey player, coach, and administrator

Bruce Delventhal is a retired American ice hockey player, coach and administrator who led two ice hockey programs before becoming the athletic director for Plattsburgh State.

The 1988 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 1987–88 season, the 5th such tournament in NCAA history. It concluded with Wisconsin-River Falls defeating Elmira in the championship series 3-0 in the deciding mini-game. All Quarterfinals matchups were held at home team venues, while all succeeding games were played in Elmira, New York.

The ECAC West men's tournament was a Division III conference tournament held from establishment of the ECAC West as an independent league until the dissolution of the conference in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Collegiate Hockey Association</span>

The New York Collegiate Hockey Association was an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Second Division. The league was created in 1977 between 6 then-existing SUNYAC schools as well as Buffalo and Elmira.

References

  1. Levanduski, Ron. "Elmira women's hockey win NCAA third place game". The Star Gazette. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Host of the Division III men's Frozen Four
1992
1998
Succeeded by