With the Pride’s first home game coming in just over two weeks on November 4th, excitement is starting to stir about finally going to a Pride home game. Part of going to a game is figuring out where to park, where to sit, what food is available, and what is the atmosphere of the game. I know that I have those questions and I am sure that others have these questions as well. For the sake of this article, I am going to use the Prides home opener as the game in question for this article if I need any examples time wise. For this article I am going to break the game day up into three parts; how to get there, the game its self, and tips and tricks to make the game the best experience possible for you and your needs.
How to get there
The first part of getting to a game is finding the rink. The Pride play at Warrior Ice Arena which is located at 90 Guest St in Brighton MA. Warrior is accessible by both car and by the MBTA. If you are having trouble placing Warrior, it’s the big building on the Mass Pike with the large Bruins logo on it. Warrior is located in a New Balance developed area. Fun fact, the local NPR station also has their building in the same collection of buildings.
For those taking the T, use the Framingham/Worcester line and get off at Boston Landing. From there it is a short walk to the rink.
For driving to the rink the most important tip I can give is where to find the good parking. When driving in you will probably enter by the WGBH building. As you drive through you will see on your right a parking garage, this is not the correct parking garage to use. To find the actual parking garage take the first left available to you after you enter the New Balance complex. The street that you turned on is called Life St. While it does look like you probably shouldn’t be there, you should. At the end of Life St turn right and there is the parking garage. Last season the rates for parking was $10. On each level of the parking ramp there is a door into the rink building. From there just take either the stares or the elevator to the third floor, where the doors into the rink are.
There is a main entrance to the rink on Guest street and I would recommend checking it out only for the big hockey stick thats there.
The Game
Even before the game starts there are things to do. The Pride games usually follow a formula. On Saturdays the games start at 7:00PM and on Sundays the games start at 2:00pm. I would recommend arriving about half an hour early to catch warmups. The warmups are really cool to watch and the players usually throw pucks to people who stand by the glass. If you want a player to see your poster before the game, now is when.
Seats
When buying tickets there are three options for where; end zone, center ice, and standing room. For the most part, the youth hockey teams who play during the first intermission and their families sit in the away end and the youth teams who got group tickets or their coach is a player tend to sit in the Pride’s end. The people who sit in the middle tend to be big fans. If you don’t feel the need to be near very excited kids I would not recommend the Pride’s end. The standing room is much harder to generalize but if you sit, or stand, up there you are guarantied to get some good hockey talk during the game.
Concessions
The concession stand at Warrior is rather good. From what I have heard from a very reputable source, the grilled cheese is some of the best around. For me the best part of the concession stand reusable cup offer. At the beginning of the season you can buy a Boston Pride travel cup for $20 and then get a refill of either hot chocolate or coffee for $1 for the rest of the season. Since I have a gluten allergy I cannot give many opinions on the food choices available at Warrior but it seems to be good. There is also from what I have a heard a reasonably good selection on beer and hard cider available for purchase.
Pro-shop
There is a pro-shop! The Pro-shop at Warrior has all the Pride gear you could wish for along with a smattering of Warrior branded things and Bruins gears. They have a good selection of jerseys, hats, shirseys, t-shirts, and hoodies. I would definitely recommend checking it out.
Tips and Tricks
now that the actual things are out of the way here are some of my personal tips for a more fun game.
- Bring layers! Warrior is a cold area so layers are a must. Personally I think a hat is especially good for the Pride games
- There’s a bear. While in line for tickets you can both measure your self against a mural of Zdeno Chara to see how you match up and after that, see a bear sculpture made out of hockey pads.
- Pre game fun for the family! Next to Warrior is a place that does pizza and candle pin bowling. I would definitely recommend making a day of it.
- Don’t put your food on the boards. If you are sitting along the glass, you might be tempted to put your food and drink on the ledge in front of you. There is a chance that it could go flying.
- Meeting players. Do you want an autograph or a picture with your favorite player? After the game go down to the second floor near the elevator and the players will come out to talk with fans.
- Hockey gear – right near Warrior is the New Balance factory store and since Warrior is owned by New Balance, they usually have a selection of discounted hockey gear.
- There is no bag policy at Warrior so no need to worry about that!
- Don’t be afraid to wear the other teams gear! While the majority of the fans will be wearing Pride gear, there is always someone wearing away gear. Pride fans are women’s hockey fans. They might give you a little grief about wearing the ‘wrong’ jersey but at the end of the day you are all women’s hockey fans.
There are few experiences as fun as going to a hockey game and knowing what to expect makes it easier. The Boston Pride have high quality hockey at an affordable price in an accessible location, both for getting there and for people who have disabilities. The atmosphere of a Pride game is one of enjoyment and the rush that going to a live sporting event brings.
