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Didn’t I say before that I was not going to be driving in anymore snow for a road trip (here, here and here)? Well, here we go again as a four-month hiatus from the sports tripping scene has me itching desperately for a visit and I’m hoping to thread the needle between areas of snow for a relatively stress-free drive. Once the snow ends late morning Friday in North Jersey, I’ll try to dodge post-storm snow showers and head up into Central NY for a weekend hockey trip. The first stop is Utica, where the AHL made a surprise comeback to the city in 2013 after nearly 20 years away. Friday Night’s game is against Bridgeport in their home, the Utica Memorial Auditorium. Every “Aud” I’ve come across has a special atmosphere and I’m hoping to see the same here. Then, as long as lake effect snow does not get impede my travels, I head an hour west to Syracuse for a return visit to the War Memorial Arena Saturday Night. I’ve seen the Crunch play a few times back in my college days (both were Rochester Amerks playoff victories!) and I’d like to update my review for a regular-season crowd. With St. John’s moving next year to Laval, I realized that after this trip I will have seen games in 10 of the 14 AHL Eastern Conference Arenas. The remaining four are all within driving distance, so I may strive complete the conference over the next few years.
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Stadium and Arena Visits 