After years of calling the Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex home, the Windsor Lancers hockey teams have moved to the newly renovated Adie Knox Herman Recreation Complex. (JAMES BENNETT/University of Windsor)
By John-Paul Bonadonna
For Windsor Lancers hockey, the move to a newly renovated Adie Knox Herman Recreation Complex is about much more than a change of address.
It is the beginning of a new game-day experience for Windsor Lancers hockey at the renovated facility at 1551 Wyandotte Street West.
Men’s hockey team will officially open its new home to OUA regular season play on Friday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m., hosting the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
Women’s hockey will follow with their home opener against the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m.
After years of calling the Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex home, general manager Greg Prymack says players and fans alike are going to notice the difference immediately.
“You wouldn’t recognize the building,” says Prymack, who has been involved with the men’s hockey program for 17 years.
The transformation includes new seating and lighting, new concession space and a redesigned arena configuration. For fans, the old benches have been replaced with individual seats, creating a more comfortable way to take in the action. The City of Windsor will also complete substantial changes to the overall facility later this fall.
For the players, the changes are even more substantial.
In partnership with the City, the University completed new dressing rooms for the Lancers men’s and women’s hockey programs.
The Bringing Lancer Hockey Home campaign is helping outfit the new space, including player stalls, a dry-fit room, equipment and medical spaces for each team. The men’s team have focused on a dedicated athlete recovery area featuring a sauna and cold tub.
Director of Athletics, Stephanie White, says the result is a facility that can stand alongside the best university hockey environments in the country.
“The renovation and updates to our team locker rooms shows the investment into our student-athlete experience and the positioning of our programs for success,” she says.
That investment also has implications beyond game night.
Men’s hockey head coach Kevin Hamlin believes the improved facilities will give Windsor another important tool in recruiting student-athletes.
“We’re now offering prospective players amenities they did not have at the team’s former home,” says Hamlin.
But perhaps the biggest change for Lancers fans is simply getting to the rink.
Adie Knox is considerably closer to campus, making it possible for students to walk to a game rather than arrange transportation across the city.
White adds that there are future plans with the City to add a Lancers student section at the north end of the arena. The expectation is the improved accessibility, combined with the improved setting and hospitality, will help create a memorable atmosphere.
“We want to create a fun, loud and exciting atmosphere to support our Lancers,” says White.
The renovated arena has approximately 350 seats. Rather than a cavernous building with hundreds of empty seats, Coach Hamlin envisions an energetic, packed house where fans are right on top of the action.
“There’s not going to be a better atmosphere than our rink when it gets going,” he says.
Showcasing university-level hockey at the upgraded facility is something Prymack looks forward to.
“Anybody that’s come to one of our games, they say, ‘Why haven’t we been here before?’ This is the best hockey in town” adds Prymack.
Visit this webpage to learn more about opportunities to support the Bringing Lancer Hockey Home campaign.