Venue Trek - Richfield Ice Arena/Minnesota Magicians

Richfield Ice Arena exterior

Arena - Richfield Ice Arena

Address - 636 E 66th St, Richfield, MN 55423

Capacity - 1,800 (Rink 1)

Home of - Minnesota Magicians (NAHL - Tier II Junior)

Game Info - 9/30/16 vs Coulee Region Chill, Attendance 324, Score Magicians Win 6-3

A Nice Affordable Family Outing

While some buildings in this league have frills at or near Professional Hockey quality, this is not one of them. The Richfield Ice Arena was opened in 1971 tucked away in the Twin Cities suburb of Richfield, sandwiched between Minneapolis and Bloomington. The Richfield Ice Arena has been the home of many great hockey players from both the Academy of Holy Angels (including Erik Johnson and Mike Reilly) and Richfield High School (including former Minnesota Wild player Darby Hendrickson). Richfield High School has since folded their hockey program but has combined with Southwest Christian (from Chaska, MN) and will play half their games in Chaska and half in Richfield. The Academy of Holy Angels also plays all their games inside the Ice Arena but the main tenant is the Minnesota Magicians.

Richfield Ice Arena entrance

From the time you walk into the building it's made known that it's the Magicians home. The sign atop the entrance reads "Home of the Magicians". In the lobby as you enter there is a jersey with the players through (the relatively short) history of the club who've played D1 Hockey. They also have their schedule printed over a door to the old Hat Trick Hockey entrance and another set of windows that feature their D1, D3, and International Pro Alumni. The lobby isn't that fancy as it's just a table set up to sell tickets. As you go past the ticket booth you can enter Rink 1 to your left or the concessions are down the hall on the right. The concessions are at a good price with single items ranging from $1.50-$3.50, and meals running at $5 or $6. Even though there is a large area in the concessions (filled with Trophies from the various high school and youth programs) there is only one register which can become a problem in between periods as lines become long. Restrooms are immediately to the right and left of the entrance to Rink 1. Once you enter the Rink you walk directly into the merchandise table, which is a nice touch, but can be very understocked early on and late into the season.

Center Ice from Section 17

 Once inside Rink 1 going up the stairs to the right will take you to Section 17 the left will take you to Section 1. The Magicians shoot twice along the left (as you enter) side of the rink, but do pregame warmups along the right side. A few nice touches to this arena are the seats being elevated 3 feet from ice level, the 5 rows of seats rise steeply which give rows 3-5 plus the barstool seats a nice view. While on the other hand the lower 2 rows don't have the greatest view. They are 2-2.5 feet from the ice and near the corners can get as far away as 4 feet. If you show up early (or at all on Friday nights in the Fall) there is a large amount of seating to choose from. The Magicians will rarely draw over 800 so seating is abundant and this year is all General Admission. Tickets are an affordable $10 for adults, $8 for Child/Senior, with multi-ticket packages including 2 tickets and 2 tap beers for $25, 4 tickets and 4 tap beers for $40, and a $40 Family Pack for $40 with 4 tickets and 4 bags of Chuck A Pucks. Even with the low ticket prices the attendance (as mentioned before) is not the best in the league, especially on Fall Friday nights. This can create a serious lack of atmosphere from the fans in attendance, but the club does as much as possible with lights and music to help, which it does to an extent.

Final Thoughts

Pros

Seating surrounds the Rink

Seats elevated 3 feet above ice level provides good viewing angles from higher rows

Good amount of parking, all of which is free

Team presentation is very good, with lights and music

Magicians make it known they are THE main tenant

Cons

Lower seats are 2-2.5 feet from the boards, corners as far as 4 feet

Small amount of items to choose from in team shop during the early and late season

Lack of crowds at many games creates a lack of atmosphere

Only one register at concession stand can make for long lines

Neutral

Hard to get too when there is construction along Portland Ave, otherwise relatively easy

Small to average crowds in an 1,800 seat building provides plenty of seating options

At the end of the day it's still a high school rink

Overall it's a nice experience, the hockey action is great as always provided by the Minnesota Magicians and the North American Hockey League. I would highly recommend getting out to Richfield and the Ice Arena to watch the club play.

Final Rating 2.5/5