College hockey played at Garden scale is a strange and excellent thing, with student sections and pep bands filling a building normally reserved for professionals. Cornell's New York alumni turn the day into a reunion, which gives it an atmosphere no Rangers game can replicate. If you want a sporting event you can bring the whole family to and still be home by mid-afternoon, take this one.
What to expect
A midday puck drop with pep bands, organised student chants and a crowd made up heavily of alumni and their families. The Garden ice is the same sheet the Rangers use, so the hockey looks familiar even if the atmosphere does not. Sections fill unevenly, which often leaves good sightlines available well down the bowl.
Good to know
- Nearest trains: A, C, E, 1, 2 or 3 to 34th St-Penn Station, which lets out directly beneath the arena
- Madison Square Garden runs a clear-bag policy with small clutches allowed, so travel light and skip backpacks
- A midday start, so it works as a daytime outing rather than a night out
- Lower-bowl seats along the blue lines give the cleanest read of the play
- Elevators and accessible seating are on every level; ask a guest services host at the Seventh Avenue entrance
- Family-friendly and considerably calmer than an NHL crowd
Going? Keep it.
Common questions
What is the Frozen Apple?
A recurring Cornell men's hockey game staged at Madison Square Garden, drawing the university's large New York alumni base.
Is this an NCAA conference game?
Cornell plays in ECAC Hockey and Maine in Hockey East, so this is a non-conference meeting at a neutral site.
