Photos by Paul Baker, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.29
Daniel S. Horgan Arena
403 Oxford St.
Auburn, MA 01501
Year Opened: 1974
Capacity: 1,500
AMCATS MIH
Anna Maria College is a private Catholic college located in Paxton, Massachusetts. Founded as a women’s college in 1946, it became coeducational in 1973. Today the school boasts an enrollment of 1,500 students who study in six graduate and undergraduate schools.
Anna Maria’s athletic teams are known as the AMCATS, which is an acronym derived from “Anna Maria College Athletic Team Sports.” The school started sponsoring men’s and women’s hockey in 2018. Beginning in the 2024-25 season, the Amcats hockey teams joined the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Association. Neither team has appeared in the NCAA D-3 Tournament yet. Both teams play off campus: the men’s team plays at the Horgan Arena in Auburn, and the women’s team plays at Buffone Arena in Worcester.
In the 1970s Bobby Orr and the Big, Bad Bruins were taking Massachusetts and New England by storm. The demand for ice skating rinks all over the region skyrocketed. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) responded to this demand by building dozens of rinks all over the state. One of these rinks was Horgan Arena in Auburn, a town in central Massachusetts located just to the south of Worcester.
Daniel S. Horgan served as the chief engineer for the Massachusetts Department of Public Works. He settled in Auburn and served as the President of the Auburn Rotary Club. Mr. Horgan passed away in 1973, before the completion of the hockey rink. In recognition of his service to the community, the rink was named in his honor.
Food & Beverage 2
There is a small snack bar in the lobby that serves up a variety of snacks for visiting fans. In this chilly rink, hot coffee, hot chocolate, and tea are the most popular items. If you’re in the mood for something cooler, a variety of slushies are available.
Also on the menu are pizza slices, hot dogs, and an assortment of breakfast sandwiches. Fans looking for snacks can grab some nachos, popcorn, pretzel bites, cookies, or ice cream treats. If you’re looking for a soda, candy, or chips, the vending machines in the lobby have you covered. Pepsi products are featured at Horgan Arena.
Atmosphere 2
Community rinks like Horgan Arena don’t have much in the way of amenities that are conducive to creating a lively game-day atmosphere. The Anna Maria staff do their best with the limited resources they have. The DJ does double duty as the PA announcer, filling the rink with noise during play stoppages and doing a nice job keeping fans up to date on game information from his post behind the penalty boxes.
If sitting near the temporary speakers set up here, be warned that it will be loud. The DJ here plays more hip-hop music than you may be used to hearing at a hockey game. As someone who is not a fan of the genre, his selection of music is outstanding, if a bit out of place at a hockey game.
There’s a basic scoreboard on the west end of the rink that displays score and time. Some banners are hanging around the facility recognizing the different teams that call Horgan Arena home, but little to identify this as the home of the Amcats besides a small sign under the scoreboard.
Neighborhood 2
Horgan Arena is part of the Auburn Recreational Complex, which also includes a baseball field, softball field, tennis court, basketball courts, dog park, and track. Much of the surrounding area near the Complex is residential, but with two interstates cutting through the area, there is also a significant commercial presence in the area.
The Auburn Mall is a short drive away for fans looking to do a little shopping. Routes 12 and 20 contain the majority of the businesses in town, and fans will find all the typical chain options as they drive through Auburn. Fans looking for some local flavor should check out J. Anthony’s Bar and Grill, Bar One and Sushi, and the Bentley Pub. There is a Comfort Inn and a Holiday Inn Express and Suites near the arena should you be looking to stay in the area after the game.
Fans 1
As you would expect, a crowd at an Anna Maria hockey game is what we at Stadium Journey would call a “friends and family” crowd. Stadium Journey visited Horgan Arena on a snowy Saturday night during semester break, and the crowd in attendance numbered about 50 hardy fans. Everyone in the stands appeared to have some sort of connection with the players on the ice and were enthusiastic in their support of the home team.
With the Amcats’ schedule consisting entirely of New England teams, chances are you’ll see a good turnout from visiting fans as well. With the Anna Maria campus located 11 miles away in neighboring Paxton, there’s not a big turnout from the student body.
Access 4
Horgan Arena is located in the center of Auburn, MA, a town of about 17,000 residents located just to the southwest of Worcester. Interstates 90 (the Mass Pike) and 290 intersect right near the rink, making it easily accessible from all points in Massachusetts and beyond. The rink itself is located in a mixed residential and commercial neighborhood, which will give visiting hockey fans a few options for things to do before or after an Amcats game.
If anyone has ever been to any of the DCR rinks in Massachusetts, you will notice that they all have an identical design. If you have ever been to a UMass Dartmouth game at Hetland Arena in New Bedford, you’ll be sure to feel a case of déjà vu.
There is a large parking lot adjacent to the arena. Fans will enter a small lobby where the skate shop, vending machines, and snack bar are located. The visiting locker room is also here. It’s also the place to be during intermission, as it’s the only place in the building with heat.
As you enter the rink, seating on the near side consists of molded bleachers while seating on the far side consists of wooden bleachers. There is a standing room available at either end of the rink. Bathrooms are located to your left as you enter. You will be sharing the restrooms with the home team (well, the men’s room). Nets obstruct views of the ice from all points in the facility.
Return on Investment 4
Admission to an Anna Maria hockey game is seven dollars for general admission seating. Parking is free in the large lot adjacent to the rink. Concession prices are reasonable, and visiting an Amcats game is an affordable entertainment option for central Massachusetts sports fans.
Extras 1
While nothing is going on at an Amcats game that can be considered extra, an extra point is awarded for the team’s name itself. The acronym is a most clever alternative to the typical Wildcats and such.
Final Thoughts
With the great availability of rinks in the greater Worcester area, it’s kind of surprising that the Anna Maria men’s hockey team has chosen to play so far from campus. Perhaps as the program becomes more established, they will move to a facility closer to home. For now, Horgan Arena serves as an adequate, if unspectacular, home for the Amcats.
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