Frank Ritter Ice Arena (85' x 185') is home to the Rochester Institute of Technology men’s and women’s hockey teams, as well as the Genesee Figure Skating Club. The arena has hosted five NCAA Championships, most recently the women’s Division III final in 2010-11. In 2008, the arena celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Formerly known as Shumway Arena, the facility has undergone several renovations. A new sound system, lights, ceiling, and dasher boards have been added to help make Ritter Arena one of the best facilities in the Atlantic Hockey Association. In the last four years, both team locker rooms were renovated, a visitor’s locker room was added, and the compressors were replaced. In 2008, a state-of-the-art television studio was built to accommodate live hockey broadcasts on Time Warner Cable Sports. RIT is one of a handful of Division I programs that can broadcast games in high definition.
In 2011, a 3.5-million-dollar project completed to expand the current men’s and women’s hockey locker rooms, with coaching offices and video and training rooms to be added in the lower level of the arena.
Game Night Atmosphere
With its intimate capacity of 2,100 (1,600 sitting, 500 standing), fans are right on top of the action. With the “Corner Crew” leading the way, fans at Ritter Arena cheer loudly and often. The crowds are among the most boisterous and loudest in Division I, and give the Tigers a distinct home-ice advantage. There are a plethora of banners celebrating RIT hockey’s several conference and NCAA championships. In addition, there are several different promotions and special events between periods, making Ritter Arena the place to be on campus during the winter months.
History
The arena is named after one of Rochester’s most distinguished citizens. Frank Ritter was a founder of Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (now RIT). He served on the Board of Trustees from 1885 to 1903, and was founder of Ritter Company, later a part of Sybron Co. The arena was dedicated in his honor in 1968.
Media and Special Guests
Overlooking the south end is the John D. Pike Press Box, dedicated on Nov. 18, 1985. The facility is a gift of the John D. Pike Construction Co. and is named in honor of the company’s founder. The press box has areas for media and special guests of the university, and complements one of the finest university skating facilities in the United States.
Facilities
Located beneath the seating section are hockey locker rooms, made possible by major gifts from the Shumway Foundation and the Landsman Development Corporation. In October, 2011, the one story 12,000 square foot addition will be located on the east side of the current 52,125 square foot arena. It will house the new team locker rooms, coaches’ facilities, and supporting hockey activities such as treatment space, equipment storage and repair. The east façade of the building, facing Gordon Field House, will be a brick finish with vertical openings penetrating the brick at regular intervals, while the other exposed walls will be a cast concrete. Skylight wells on the roof will provide natural light to the locker rooms.
Special Activities
* Numerous other activities have taken advantage of the arena’s facilities. Some of these include:
* Genesee Figure Skating Club Invitational
* Rochester Youth Hockey practice sessions
* Monroe County Hockey League playoffs
* Rochester Americans preseason
* exhibition games
* McQuaid Jesuit High School Tournament
* Empire State Games Championships
The arena also hosts the Tiger Hockey School, and the Genesee Figure Skating Club has conducted its 49th Annual Skating Academy. Learn-to-Skate classes and public skating are also offered throughout the year.
