Syracuse, N.Y. (NCC News) — The 32nd season of Syracuse Crunch hockey opens in just a few days. The AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning, now under head coach and general manager Joel Bouchard, hits game ice Oct. 18 after last year’s North Division Semifinals exit to the Rochester Americans.
New Season
“We’re really excited about the start of the season,” said Megan Cahill, the Crunch Vice President of Communications & Digital Media. “This is our favorite time of year. It’s what we look forward to all summer.”
Despite unseasonably warm temperatures in Central New York for the month of October, the cold ice is in the process of coming together inside Upstate Medical University Arena in downtown Syracuse.
Ice Delays
Ice installation has been delayed because of recent events that have taken place inside the Onondaga County-owned War Memorial. Adam Sandler: You’re My Best Friend, for example, took place on Sept. 17, and delayed the start of the ice building inside the arena.
“It’s a little kink when we’re trying to work around other shows and other events and getting the ice built and getting all of our sponsors in ice and all of that,” said Cahill. “So it’s nice that we have Tennity and SU in that partnership so that we’re able to come here and skate and get training camp underway.”
The road bump forced the Crunch to begin their training camp at Tennity Ice Pavilion, the home of Syracuse University’s women’s ice hockey team, along with its club men’s and women’s teams. During the last week of September, the team bused between the SU campus and its gym and workout facilities at Upstate Medical University Arena.
Syracuse played its pair of preseason games on the road in Binghamton and Utica. The Crunch open the season on the road in Hershey, PA against the Bears.
The extra time should be enough for the Crunch to complete the ice installation before the nearly 6,000 hockey fans fill the arena for opening night.
Home Arena Upgrades
Speaking of ushering in fans for a new year, Upstate Medical University Arena has made upgrades ahead of this AHL season.
- Padded lower bowl seats with cupholders
- Improved accessibility
- New seating locations on the stage
- New speakers in arena, concourses, and arena entrances
“We have two really exciting upgrades this summer,” said Cahill. “One being the seating project. All of the lower bowl seating is all brand new this year. So we have cupholders, everyone has a little bit more of a comfortable seat, we kind of shifted where the seats were so we think people are really going to enjoy that.”
An audible upgrade will be the sound system from when you approach the venue outside to what fans will hear above the ice.
“We put a brand new sound system in that’s in-arena, through the hallways, that’s even outside the arena,” said Cahill. “So wherever you are during an event, you’re going to hear what’s going on.”
The Syracuse Crunch host the Rochester Americans in their home opener on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m.