Hockey and Ice Skating Page

ICE SKATING
Ice skating can be a very relaxing and enjoyable experience. Although most people can not skate on the level of our country's Olympic figure skaters, there is still much fun to be had just going to some ice and skating around. There is no competition or pressure to perform in the amateur setting and consequently it is usually experienced purely for the fun nature of the event. Ice skating is especially popular for couples because they can go and simply enjoy a fun and relaxing time together without risking any type of serious injury while doing something physical. Ice skating is often practiced on indoor hockey rinks, such as the ones located at the New York State Fairgrounds or the public rink in the town of Lysander. Ice Skating can also be practiced outdoors on the many frozen ponds or lakes in the Syracuse area. For more skating info click here to go to SKATEWEB.


HOCKEY
For the more competitive and energetic individuals there is the game of hockey. This sport combines the skill of ice-skating and the physical and skillful play of soccer and lacrosse. It is a very fast paced game played with a circular puck that is flung around at remarkable speed. Hockey is very popular in Canada and the northern part of the U.S. but is now spreading to other regions of the country. At Syracuse there is a club hockey team which plays in the Onondaga County War Memorial. They play in the ECHL, the Eastern Collegiate Hockey League which includes teams from schools such as Ithaca, Rochester, St. Bonaventure and Mercyhurst. The team annually challenges for the league championship that is held as a tournament at the end of each season. The winner of this tournament goes on to participate in the regional sections of the national championships. There is also a professional hockey team that represents the city of Syracuse. The team is called the Syracuse Crunch and they play in the IHL, International Hockey League, which is part of a system of leagues that are farm teams to the higher level of hockey played in the NHL, the National Hockey League. The Crunch are a farm team of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks. For more info click here to go to the Hockey Server.