The Connecticut Whale will play in North Branford next season, just a few miles north of New Haven.
NORTH BRANFORD, May 5 – The Connecticut Whale of the National Women’s Hockey League are moving into larger quarters. The Whale announced Thursday that they will play home games in the 2016-17 season at the Northford Ice Pavilion, which seats up to 1,200 fans.
A year ago, the Whale played at Chelsea Piers in Stamford which could seat a few hundred fans but many simply stood around the rink. The Whale did sell out several games with an announced crowd of 600 fans. Connecticut did play one game each at Ingalls Rink at Yale and one game at the Danbury Ice Arena.
Northford Ice Pavilion is in the Northford section of North Branford and has several NHL-size rinks, including the Red Rink, which was the former home of the Quinnipiac University men’s hockey team.
“We are extremely excited that our facility will be home to our first professional hockey team,” said Bill Maniscalco, general manager of the Northford Ice Pavlilion. “What makes it even more special is that it is a women’s professional team. I feel this will help grow the girls’ hockey game in this area, both at a younger and older level.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login