February 10, 2024
Mullins Center (Capacity: 8,389)
Amherst, MA
Massachusetts Minutemen vs Connecticut Huskies
Final Score: 3 – 1
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Up in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts is the quaint city of Amherst, which has a population of 40,000. This place is the true definition of a college town because there is not one, not two, but three schools of higher learning within the city. The biggest is the University of Massachusetts and it is quite large in both enrollment (27,000) and land use (1460 acres). It is known as “The Flagship”, a rather elitist moniker as it refers to being the head of the state’s university system. After various iterations of a hockey team playing on an outdoor rink, the opening of the Mullins Center in 1993 helped start a permanent program in Amherst and they joined the conference, Hockey East. The program typically struggled as they only finished in the top half of the conference twice in 24 years (one of those seasons was 2007 when Jonathan Quick was instrumental in getting UMass their first NCAA berth). It all changed in 2019, when UMass was phenomenal, winning the regular season Hockey East title and reaching the NCAA Championship game. They climbed both mountains in 2021 as they won it all in front of Covid-reduced crowds. The building is basic, but decent to watch hockey and a large student base help the atmosphere.
Prestige Ranking: 3 out of 5
Location
Amherst Center is small and it offers a walkable downtown that has an older look to it. A common space in the middle makes the core areas of business set-up in the shape of a “T” when viewing from above. A lot of the food and drink available caters to the college crowd, plus there’s a good amount of diversity on the restaurant scene. There was even a Tibetan place. Amherst has a few museums, one dedicated to Emily Dickinson and another on city history (limited hours though). Perhaps the most interesting is the Beneski Museum of Natural History on the campus of Amherst College. The private school is one of the country’s elite and this highly selective and highly rated college is right downtown. UMass is in the northeast part of the city, not quite within walking distance from the center of Amherst. Campus is large and the best place to get a look at the school is near the Campus Pond. That is relatively close to the Mullins Center on the west side of campus.
Location Ranking: 6 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
The lone highway running through Western Massachusetts is I-91. Travelers coming from Boston or Albany can meet up with this interstate near Springfield as that is where the Mass Pike (I-90) intersects. Amherst is 10-15 minutes from Exit 25 on I-91 and the arrival is simple enough (Route 9 to Route 116). If you decide to head downtown, it can be congested, especially during the evenings. The Mullins Center is along the speed bump filled Commonwealth Ave and there is a good amount of parking in the adjacent lots to the arena, some with overhead solar panels. With that lot, you have to be strategic when exiting. Don’t get out in the back to the stoplight at Holdsworth Way as the wait and traffic can be awful. Instead, park near Commonwealth Ave and there are outlets on that side of the parking lot back to the main road. A garage in the middle of campus is also available in case any of the parking near the arena is completely full.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7 out of 8
Exterior
The Mullins Center seems to have taken a page out of the Ballparks built in the era of the 1990s. Brick and green is the overall visual as the sloped roof has a distinctive color and design. The lower two-thirds are made up of brick with a good amount of windows that look out from the concourse. The main entrance is actually at the end of the building and this has slightly more pizzazz and it almost had a large factory/warehouse feel to it.
Exterior Ranking: 6 out of 10
Concourse
The single concourse is at ground level and it goes around the length of the building with corner space just a bit more open than the sides. A sellout would certainly lead to congestion and jam-ups, but with a little more than half the house filled, traffic wasn’t overly terrible. Roped off areas for concession lines can narrow the space on the sides. In terms of the look, it’s older between the tiled floor and the brick walls. The triangular ceiling and wall displays do improve the visuals. Note that there is no space to watch the game from here and no easy spot to congregate before the game or at the half. It is a stark separation between arena and concourse as closed doors through section openings divide the two and there is no walkway inside the seating bowl.
Concourse Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
Food
It is weird to see campus dining services promoted so much at an athletic event. Despite that, UMass Dining delivered as they brought variety and quality. I was most interested in the BBQ and the platter featured a lot of food, too much for me to finish. The Pulled Pork/Mac & Cheese/Cornbread was a solid choice. Each game features a highlighted Specialty Pizza and an item from the “Chef’s Table” (it was a chicken/rice bowl when I attended). Concession stands don’t have a lot of options per stand, so I’d advise walking around the arena or seeking a map. Don’t sleep on the Ice Cream options as the local creamery has some fantastic flavors as evidenced by the long lines. The Pancake Sundae sounded amazing too. Lastly, Amherst Brewing is the beer of choice and they include a drink made for the University (strange to say that), generically called “Massachusetts Lager”.
Food Ranking: 6 out of 8
Interior
This is a simple arena as the seating bowl goes around the rink in the shape of a rounded rectangle. Maroon seating adds character and the chairs themselves vary in comfort. On one side, they are a bit narrow and hard to sit on. In Sections C thru L, there is padding and offer a much better feel. Definitely go with a seat on this side of the arena. It is a one level seating bowl and I didn’t like the middle concourse openings because it meant that some sections go from floor to roof and some are broken up. Sightlines are fine, but near these wide entranceways, the connecting stairs and railings were obstructions in my line of sight with the ice surface. Wall material inside is either concrete or gray siding, which contrasts with the brick found in the concourse and exterior. The only luxury seating is the ice-level “Commonwealth Club” and impersonal Loge Seating, a row of fancy chairs and a table between the lower and upper seating.
Interior Ranking: 7.5 out of 14
Scoreboard
Above center is a really nice widescreen display that fits the arena perfectly. What’s odd is that they don’t put the score and time on the screen. Instead, there is a dot-matrix on the façade of the middle concourse opening (see picture below). You really have to train your eyes. A large Mullins Center wordprint is at the top and the ends feature a UMass logo as video is only pointed to the sidelines. To address this, each end of the arena has another large scoreboard and these ones have a full compliment of stats and information.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3.5 out of 4
Displays
Statues on the outside are devoted to the basketball program as hockey only gets recognition with a few player pictures around the concourse. Banners can be found hanging from the rafters at one end of the Mullins Center and they are a mix of team and player accomplishments. Cale Makar’s Hobey Baker winning season is recognized from 2019. The National Championship banner is in the middle and rightfully larger than all the others.
Displays Ranking: 2 out of 6
Cost
It was much cheaper than I expected as I pulled into the parking lot surprised to see that it was free. Tickets are fairly priced as they go from $16, $20 and $25. The cheapest option is General Admission, which is strange since the entire building has row and seat numbers. There are signs inside pointing out the GA sections. Prices go up $5 for the bigger games against teams like BU and BC. The more expensive concession items ($9 – $15) at least are worth it given the amount of food (a whole pizza pie or other platters). Ice Cream was $6, Cookies/Brownies/Soda were just $2 or $3. However, local beer was super expensive at $12.
Cost Ranking: 7.5 out of 8
Fan Support
This game that I attended was a good reflection of Fan Support for UMass hockey. It was a Saturday Night against an average, yet well known opponent (UConn) and the Minutemen came in ranked #11 and fighting for an automatic NCAA Tournament berth as they were on the Pairwise bubble. Only half the arena was filled with fans and while I was a little disappointed with that turnout, it’s important to keep in mind that UMass plays in a much bigger arena compared to others in College Hockey. This would’ve been a near full house at arenas the size of BU, UNH and Maine. The student turnout was really good as they filled up a decent chunk around the goal. You can expect the rest of the building to be completely full, a few times per season mainly when a really good BU or BC team comes to town. Since UMass came out of the doldrums and saw success in recent years, the bandwagoners have mostly stayed onboard. There’s a huge alumni and student population presence that can stay with the program and time will tell if hockey remains more popular than basketball at the school.
Fan Support Ranking: 6 out of 8
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is good as fans ooo and ahhh at various moments throughout the game. There is a solid goal roar and a handful will get on their feet, but overall it’s not too crazy. The size of the building hurts because sound and atmosphere can get lost unless there is a sellout. That holds true for the student section. They have some chants that are short in duration, like “Let’s Go UMass”, which only lasted 2 or 3 times before stopping. Overall, not too organized. The pep band occasionally will replace piped in music and despite being off key plenty of times, that fun fight song still sounded awesome. UMass has a decent atmosphere for hockey, it just is hurt by how cavernous the building.
Atmosphere Ranking: 8.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
The nickname “Minutemen” is derived from the New England colonists of the same name that were instrumental during the Revolutionary War…..UMass brands itself as the “Flagship”, because it is the primary campus in the University of Massachusetts system. I hate this elitist moniker and it probably bothers me more than it should. I also find the gigantic state outline at center court to be obnoxious…..The full name of the arena is the William D. Mullins Memorial Center, named after a state representative who pushed for the idea of the arena. Some locals nickname it “The Bill”……I like how at the beginning of each row, there are very clear labels on the side of the seat denoting the Row and Seat Numbers…..UMass has a real catchy fight song (0:30) that I did not know about going in to the visit. The middle part is fun to join in to……Adjacent to the arena is a separate building that contains a community ice rink……After the announcement that there is one minute left in the half, the crowd responds with “Thank You” and the P.A. will answer back a quick reply. It may be “Your Welcome” or “No Problem” or “Anytime” or “Denada”. Nice little touch.
Game
The Minutemen took this one easily despite having two goals that were taken off the board after a replay review. The second good goal in particular for UMass was a beauty as Aydar Suniev snapped a wrister that rattled the net. That 2-0 lead became 3-1 at the end of the second period and 3 penalties by the Huskies in the final frame did not help their comeback efforts. Michael Hrabal made 36 saves for the UMass.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
