Boston Blades Announce Locations for 2016/17 Home Games

The question of where the Boston Blades will play next has finally been answered.

The team announced this week the times and locations for all of this season's home games. As SCOC reported last week, Boston University's Walter Brown Arena and UMass Boston will host the majority of the Blades games this yeah, with five being played at BU and three at UMass Boston.

"When looking for a new home rink, we really just wanted to get back to the city," said Blades General Manager Krista Patronick of her search to secure home ice. She continued, saying Walter Brown was one of the first arenas she contacted.

"Our players are really excited to play there. Obviously it will be cool to have Tara Watchorn playing back at her alma mater, and also for players on other teams such as Marie-Philip Poulin to step on Walter Brown ice once again."

The Blades home opener against Calgary on Oct. 29 will mark the team's first appearance at UMass Boston since its Clarkson Cup winning campaign in the 2014/15 season. In addition to the three games played there, the team will use the rink for many of their practices, according to Patronick.

Of the remaining four games on the schedule, two will be at the John Ryan Arena in Watertown and one apiece at UMass Lowell and the Veterans Memorial Rink in Somerville. The UMass Lowell game, held on Jan. 29 against Toronto, will mark the only time the Blades will return to a rink that hosted them last season.

The Blades will also play one pre-season exhibition game, which will be held on Oct. 1 at the Edge Sports Center of Bedford against the New England Eagles - a team comprised of military veterans, many of whom are also former professional and collegiate players. Donations taken at the game will benefit the Skate for the 22 Foundation, a reference to the statistic that 22 veterans on average commit suicide each day.

The team hopes that the game will help raise awareness for the cause.

"Hockey provides such a great outlet for these veterans," said Patronick. "It is such a great cause and we are very excited to play them."