March 6, 2016
Erie Insurance Arena (Capacity: 6,833)
Erie, PA
Erie Otters vs Niagara IceDogs
Final Score: 2 – 4
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This arena visit was tricky to figure out if it should count as a “new” building or a re-visit to a renovated one. In 1983, the Erie Civic Center was built and this plain, mid-sized arena served to fill a need in the community. After a name change to honor former mayor, Louis J. Tullio, the city looked to modernize this increasingly cramped building. A $42 million renovation followed (nearly five times the original cost) and in 2013, Erie Insurance Arena opened as a completely different arena, only the site was the same. Various minor-league hockey teams called the original building home, then in 1996, the Niagara Falls Thunder moved to Erie and the Otters became just the third American franchise in the Ontario Hockey League. Erie celebrated an OHL championship in 2002 and then a down period ensued. The arrival of Connor McDavid changed all that as his ridiculous skill-set excited the city and drove the Otters to deep playoffs runs in 2014-2015 that fell just short of a title. After a bankruptcy and flirtation with moving, the franchise has since been purchased and stabilized in Erie as the Otters celebrate their 20th season. The arena experience is solid as the building is nice and the fans make it loud.
Prestige Ranking: 3.5 out of 5
Location
Located in the northwest corner of Pennsylvania, Erie sits on the shores of the Great Lake for which the city is named. Most of Erie’s attractions can be found near the Bayfront, where there is an observation tower and a maritime museum. The most popular spot during the summer-time is Presque Isle, a peninsula offshore that is full of outdoor activities. Back downtown is where Erie Insurance Arena is located and the facility is right in the core of the city. Plenty of great restaurants can be found up and down State Street, while the city also boasts a couple of enjoyable museums.
Location Ranking: 7 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Two interstates make access quite easy as I-90 runs East-West, while I-79 reaches the city northward from Pittsburgh. There are a couple parking garages found nearby between State Street and French Street. Street parking is also doable on weekends and we arrived 45 minutes before the game to find a free spot not far from the arena door. Getting out afterwards can take a little bit of time (especially with no police controlling traffic), however, it opens up rather quickly when getting further out from the arena.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7.5 out of 8
Exterior
Erie Insurance Arena features a wonderful introduction as a circular entranceway provides the face of the building. The metallic look does not completely fit with other city buildings, but it does scream “modern” and the design features a couple layers of windows with a “disk” in between. “Erie Insurance Arena” is spelled out in the same silver color, making it a little hard to read despite its size. On the sides of the building is a more standard brick approach. Interestingly, the south side of the arena is actually the home run wall in the left field portion of Jerry Uht Park, Erie’s home ballpark for their Double-A franchise.
Exterior Ranking: 8 out of 10
Concourse
A wide atrium greets visitors as this bright, open area includes plenty of ticket windows. Once past the ticket-takers, it is a little more cramped. The concourse then branches out down each side and despite the slightly extra space, long lines for both the bathroom and concession stands are issues. Even while play resumed after an intermission, food lines were still lengthy. Odd columns in the middle of the walkways don’t help with the spacing problems. As for the look, the numerous windows add a nice element and there are several displays around. The wall coloring though is weird with maroon at the end and a type of blue on the sides. A couple makeshift merchandise stands sell Erie apparel and the corners of each concourse section have a pseudo lounge/bar area.
Concourse Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
Food
Food options were pretty good and I had a Sausage combo with Fries that was decent. The most notable specialties include Gyros, Cheesesteaks, Cajun Chicken and Vegetable Flatbread. Also nice to see served are Pepperoni Balls, a snack mostly confined to the Erie area. There are several beer options outside of the big names and Erie’s own Brewing Company features it’s Railbender on draft.
Food Ranking: 6 out of 8
Interior
The design of Erie Insurance Arena is a horseshoe and though there are disadvantages to this for hockey, it works as well as it could here. Brown seats generally encompass one level of seating with concourse openings and wheelchair accessible areas dividing the sections between 100s and 200s. The west end has a somewhat similar set-up, however there are bigger concourse openings and the seating area doesn’t connect with the sideline seats because it was retro-fitted. At the top of the seating bowl is the suite level and these individual boxes give way to an expansive club section above the goal end seating. An abrupt end to the building occurs at the east end where a beige and chocolate colored wall exists. The space is not without function though as several meeting rooms overlook the ice. EIA’s small surface area and low roof help to provide an intimacy and more importantly, a loud volume level that makes the Otters’ home one of the more intimidating in the OHL.
Interior Ranking: 6 out of 14
Scoreboard
Two scoreboards are inside the arena, one really good, the other not so much. Above center ice is a four-sided video screen that is appropriately sized with excellent clarity. The game is shown throughout, along with select replays (though not the one I was looking for during a disputed goal). Similar to a TV display, the score and other important info are at the top of the screen. The panel above the screen says “Erie Insurance Arena”, while the corner and circular underside are devoted to an advertisement. At the east end of the arena is an odd set-up as a pre-existing dot matrix scoreboard is surrounded by a more modern video screen. It’s a weird look that is made worse by the netting that protects the screen and it makes it look distorted. Additionally, the sole purpose of this particular screen is to show advertisements, thus meaning nothing to me.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4
Displays
There are a couple of displays out in the main lobby, but these are underwhelming. A small glass case with Erie Otters memorabilia mainly features items regarding 2015 or the 20th anniversary. Good stuff, just not enough. Nearby, a plaque on the wall honors the former mayor, Louis J. Tullio, who helped push for the original Civic Center back in the 80s. There is also a local sports hall of fame in the concourse. Inside, all of the banners fit naturally on the end wall and I like how the originals have not changed in appearance since when they were first hoisted. Division, Conference and League Championships are all displayed and there are even two players with retired numbers: #16 Brad Boyes and #18 Vince Scott. Also great to see is a banner for the old Erie Blades and their various accomplishments.
Displays Ranking: 3.5 out of 6
Cost
Ticket prices are typical of what is seen through most of the OHL, however Erie does something a little tricky. Buying tickets on the day of the game, it will cost either $23 or $25, while advanced sale tickets are $18 or $20. The catch is that unless you go to the arena, expect to pay an extra $3.75 in fees, nearly cancelling whatever “savings” supposedly seen buying in advance. Parking fees around the city are $3 – $5 but free street parking on evenings and Sunday is attainable for those that arrive early. Concession prices are a little high with a cheeseburger/fries combo running $8. A hot dog is $4, as is a regular soda.
Cost Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Fan Support
Attendance for this Sunday game was around 5,000 and looking around the building, there weren’t all that many no-shows. That’s a pretty respectable crowd for the OHL. It is worth noting however, that this season did not feature one sellout. Even Game 3 of the OHL Finals last year was not sold out and that is a sign that Erie’s reputation may be a little overdone. Recent seasons when the team was good have seen Erie rank 5th or 6th for league attendance. Poor years are reflected in attendance as the team finished in the bottom half.
Fan Support Ranking: 5.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
Erie has a reputation within league circles as having the OHL’s best atmosphere. Come playoff time, the small confines of the arena rock and the boisterous fans make the building deafening with their roars and “Let’s Go Otters” chants. This was especially the case during the 2015 Finals. Even regular season games feature a very good and loud atmosphere, however I was a bit letdown for our game as I didn’t see the level I was expecting. It was still decent though and about half of the arena stood during the goal as the burst of noise was loud. Erie fans are vocal and generally knowledgeable, though I brought that into question when half the building was still cheering nearly 10 seconds after a goal was disallowed. The number of Otters jerseys in the crowd was impressive and as you would expect, a “McDavid” jersey was the most popular.
Atmosphere Ranking: 10.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
Otters are fairly common mammals found around Lake Erie, thus the team’s nickname……What is the deal with Erie’s mascot “Shooter”? He was obsessed all game with this ridiculous “popcorn” gag, where he unknowingly dumped popcorn on unsuspecting people behind him. This was his only shtick and when an adult got understandably annoyed with it, Shooter was visibly disturbed (a no-no by a mascot).
Game
After a scoreless first period, Erie opened a 1-0 lead a few minutes into the second. Niagara then capitalized on the power play to tie the game and just before the break, Ben Jones scored to give the IceDogs a 2-1 lead. Erie dominated the last frame as they tried to come back, but despite 18 shots in the period and an owning of the faceoff circle, Niagara extended their lead and then answered again after Dylan Strome scored a beauty for Erie. The final was 4-2 for Niagara and Anthony DiFruscia finished with two goals.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
