Photos by Paul Baker, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57
Warrior Ice Arena
90 Guest St.
Boston, MA 02135
Year Opened: 2016
Capacity: 700
The Pride of Women’s Hockey
The Pride are one of the original four members of the Premier Hockey Federation, the only professional hockey league for women in North America. The team is the only franchise to have won multiple Isobel Cups, in 2016, 2021 and 2022.
The Premier Hockey Federation began operations as the National Women’s Hockey League. Prior to the 2021 season the league rebranded to a new, more inclusive and independent title, the Premier Hockey Federation. The league continues to grow, adding a seventh team in Montreal for the 2022-23 season and signing a broadcasting contract with ESPN. The league has announced a doubling of their salary cap for the 2023-24 season, to $1.5 million per team.
Warrior Ice Arena, located in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston, has served as home to the Pride since their second season in 2016. The facility also serves as a community ice rink and is the practice facility of the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins. The rink is named for its sponsor, Warrior Ice, which is New Balance’s hockey brand.
Food & Beverage 3
The one concession stand at Warrior Ice Arena sells a basic menu, highlighted by grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken tenders and pizza slices. An extensive selection of snacks are available, highlighted by Chipwiches, an ice cream sandwich brand which sponsors the PHF.
Fans looking for a beverage will be interested to learn that the cola wars have skipped Warrior Ice Arena entirely. Instead of soda, a selection of water, juices, iced tea and lemonade are sold. Hot drinks including coffee, tea and hot chocolate are popular choices in this chilly rink.
New for the 2023 season is a collaboration with Dorchester Brewing Company, which has produced two Pride-themed beverages, All In Golden Lager and Prickly Pear Hard Seltzer. A portion of proceeds from these drinks benefit the Pride Foundation. Other adult beverages available are draughts from Zero Gravity brewing, a selection of Nantucket Craft Cocktails and wine.
Atmosphere 3
Over the course of their seven-year existence, the Pride have worked hard to carve out a niche in the local community. The attraction of local sponsors, the presence of youth hockey teams and LGBTQ+ organizations and even the occasional connection with the Boston Bruins show that their efforts have largely been successful.
The Pride employ a PA announcer that really leans into his work. Warrior Ice Arena fills with music and noise from the youth groups which fill the facility during play stoppages. A new addition for the 2023 season is a mascot, named Roari (because lions roar, right?). Roari takes part in the between-period contests and games, roaming the crowd throughout the game. Youth teams take the ice during intermission, and the Shootout Challenge during the second intermission is a highlight for the young fans in attendance.
Warrior Ice Arena’s status as a community rink means that fans will often have an opportunity to take the ice before or after a game, should the schedule permit. It’s a really entertaining game day atmosphere for such a basic facility.
Neighborhood 4
Warrior Ice Arena is part of Boston Landing, a mixed-use development located in a former industrial area that once housed the city’s largest stockyard. Warrior Ice Arena serves primarily as the Boston Bruins’ practice facility and a public skating rink. Also located in Boston Landing are the Auerbach Center, the Boston Celtics’ practice facility, and the headquarters of New Balance. In addition to the office, residential and retail space in the area, a 175-room hotel is planned to open soon. Several local television and radio stations have their studios near Boston Landing.
Visiting fans will find some excellent dining choices near Warrior Ice Arena. The Stockyard is one of Boston’s oldest steak houses. The Railstop, adjacent to the arena, offers craft beer and upscale pub dining. Flatbread Pizza offers specials to Pride fans and a variety of, you guessed it, pizzas. Mainely Burgers offers a variety of gourmet burgers and pub food.
Downtown Boston is just a few miles from Boston Landing, and easily accessed by the MBTA’s Commuter Rail. While the nearby Allston neighborhood is not known as a destination location in a city full of them, there are many excellent restaurants, pubs and lodging options throughout the area.
Fans 4
The Premier Hockey Federation does not release attendance figures, so we shall measure the fans at Boston Pride games by quality, not quantity. Still, you can expect a near-capacity crowd when you visit Warrior Ice Arena.
The Pride have their share of dedicated fans, who show up decked out in the team’s black and gold jerseys. Given the fact that many of the players are local, there’s a significant number of fans in the stands who have a personal connection with the players on the ice. Also impressive in their numbers are the girls’ youth teams who often roam Warrior Ice Arena decked out in their uniforms and the visiting fans who travel following their favorite squads.
Access 4
Boston traffic notwithstanding, Warrior Ice Arena is fairly simple to get to from most points in and around Boston. Located right off of the Mass Pike, the Boston Landing neighborhood offers both on-street and garage parking. A complete map of parking and transportation options in the area can be found here.
As is the case with many Boston locations, public transportation is the recommended method to arrive at Boston Landing. The Framingham/Worcester branch of the Commuter Rail has a stop a block from Warrior Ice Arena. This line continues on to downtown Boston. In addition, several bus lines serve the area, including the #86 route, which provides access to the Red and Green MBTA lines. With shuttles available to Harvard and Kenmore and a Blue Bike rental station nearby, visiting fans have many options for getting to Warrior Ice Arena.
Fans entering Warrior Ice Arena will find themselves in a small lobby, where you may bump into some of the players warming up before the game. The ice surface, locker rooms and skate rental are located on level 2, with the spectator area located on level 3. Stairs and elevators will help fans access the spectator level.
Warrior Ice Arena is a modern, attractive facility. Fans will enter the arena (fair warning: it’s cold here, so dress appropriately) at the top of the seating area, which lines one side of the rink. Standing room (bar rails with some chairs), the snack bar and event room (where the merchandise stand is set up) are located along the concourse that runs the length of the rink. Fans will walk down to their seats, which consist entirely of bright yellow folding stadium seats.
Return on Investment 3
Tickets for Boston Pride games are priced at $40 for Center Ice seats, $30 for other sections, and $20 for standing room access. Stadium Journey recommends the standing room seats which line the top of the seating area, including the decks on either end of the ice. Be warned that space is limited, so get here early.
Parking for Pride games at the Warrior Ice Arena will cost you an additional fifteen dollars. There is ample on-street parking in the area, which is free of charge on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons when the Pride play.
Extras 4
Since Warrior Ice Arena is owned and operated by the Boston Bruins, it’s expected that you will find the facility heavy on Bruins touches. Banners honoring the team’s Stanley Cup championships and retired numbers hang over the ice surface, and the 17.5-foot Bruins logo that overlooks the Mass Pike is the arena’s defining feature.
Along with the many Bruins banners that hang at Warrior Ice Arena are four Pride banners. Pride championship teams from 2016, 2021 and 2022 are honored (the Pride are the PHF’s only squad to win multiple titles). Another banner honors former player Denna Laing, a member of the inaugural Pride squad. Laing suffered a spinal cord injury during the 2016 Outdoor Women’s Classic that ended her career.
The Pride have a well-stocked team store just off the concourse. Purchasing a player’s jersey or shirsey will give 15% of the purchase price directly to the player. In addition to picking up some Pride gear, you can get a Chipwich or a beverage here, too.
A final extra point is awarded for the most important influence that the Pride and PHF have had on countless female youth hockey players. The impact that the league has had on the many girls who come to Warrior Ice Arena cannot be overstated. The Pride work tirelessly with the local hockey community to raise awareness and funding for girls’ youth hockey in the Boston area.
Final Thoughts
There are no shortage of choices for hockey fans in hockey-mad Boston. The Pride fill an important niche for local hockey fans. Judging by the reaction of the youth groups who line the player’s tunnel as the Pride enter and exit the ice, it is clear that the pros are indeed role models to the young female hockey players who fill Warrior Ice Arena. As the marquee team of the Premier Hockey Federation, the Pride offer an affordable, entertaining option for local hockey fans, regardless of gender.