Kitchener Memorial Auditorium - Kitchener Kodiaks
- Dave Cottenie
- Jul 5
- 7 min read
Photos by Dave Cottenie, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.00
Kinsmen Arena @ Kitchener Memorial Auditorium
400 East Avenue
Kitchener, ON N2H 1ZY
Year Opened: 1987
Capacity: 1,607
Rebranded Bear
In 2026 a re-energizing of junior lacrosse in Kitchener took place. Founded in 1967, the Kitchener-Waterloo Braves were the local representation of lacrosse at the Junior B level. The Braves won the Founders Cup in 1974 and 1988 as Junior B Champions in Ontario. The Braves had a short stint in Junior A from 1976 to 1981 and returned permanently to Junior A in 1991. With a shift away from indigenous names across all sports, the Braves rebranded to the hideous Kitchener-Waterloo Junior A Lacrosse Club in 2020. There was very little success in KW during this period, disappointing considering the legendary lacrosse talent that went through the program over the years. With the 2026 season, a significant influx in talent has happened in Kitchener to go along with a significant rebrand. The Kitchener Kodiaks are a not-for-profit organization under the auspices of the Kitchener-Waterloo Minor Lacrosse Association. With the new identity the Kodiaks at the OJLL level, are in line with KWMLA branding at lower levels.
Home for the Kodiaks is the Kinsmen Arena. Part of the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, the Kinsmen Arena offers a more intimate atmosphere with a modest capacity of just over 1,600 with some standing room availability. Although The Aud itself opened in 1950, the Kinsmen Arena is much newer and opened in 1987. Paired with the Kiwanis Arena and known locally as the “Twin Pads,” Kinsmen Arena draws its name from the local charity and part of the Kin Canada organization. Although the Kodiaks have bounced around over the years in different locations, Kinsmen offers a solid venue, the perfect size, for the local version of the fastest game on two feet.
Food & Beverage 2
Concessions at Kinsmen Arena are very simple. There is a cart present at games where fans can purchase light refreshments including soda, Gatorade, water and a few different varieties of canned beer. Chocolate bars are also available. Normal concessions that would service the Aud for bigger events are not usually running during the summer months when lacrosse is happening.
Atmosphere 2
The Kitchener Kodiaks play at the venerable Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, which is also the home to the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. Rather than playing in the iconic Dom Cardillo Arena, lacrosse is found at the Kinsmen Arena, a much newer and smaller arena in The Aud complex. The arena is not over the top and is fairly simple. Fans will enter the indoor portion of the complex from the Eugene George Way, side of the arena as opposed to the main arena off of East Avenue. The exterior of the building is attractive enough with light coloured brick and an LED ribbon to advertise events. The breezeway from this entrance leads past the main box office, past the memorial dedication plaque and Kraut Line display to the twin pads. A temporary table is set up just outside Kinsmen Arena for scanning tickets.
Home to hockey at various levels in the winter months, the ice comes out during lacrosse season and the Kodiaks find a solid home for the summer. Kinsmen is located at the northeast portion of the complex buildings. It features a simple, low ceiling and light coloured walls, essentially lacking much in the way of colour. The floor surface runs from west to east, with all of the seating on the south side. Four sections of benches which surround a centre section of traditional arena seats make up the seating area and there is plenty of standing room in the east and west corners and behind the seating area. A simple hockey scoreboard is found hanging in the northeast corner of the arena. The interior of the arena is bland with nothing to even notify fans that the Kodiaks play there. No banners. No markings. The opportunity to showcase some of the history of the team would be great and give fans a better sense of the longevity of the team.
In the summer months, the Kinsmen Arena does not have the greatest ventilation. Depending on the weather outside, Kinsmen can be stuffy, on the hot side, and even a bit smelly.
The gameday production at a Kodiaks game is very simple. The concrete floor, as opposed to green carpet, offers a different experience from the pro game. The squeaking sneakers, similar to that of a basketball game, create a different feel and when players hit the ground, they tend to slide, unlike the game on the carpet. There is no music during the play giving fans the opportunity to hear the sounds of the game. The smaller venue gives fans a closer perspective to the game and a better sense of just how fast and tough box lacrosse can really be. Some basic music is played before the game and during intermissions as well as for goals. The PA announcer does a decent job of conveying information to the fans, however the speaker system has much to be desired and most announcements are lost to poor speakers and poor acoustics.
Neighbourhood 3
The Aud is located in the Auditorium neighbourhood, just east of Downtown Kitchener. For the most part, the Aud is a community arena. There are almost no pre and postgame meal options within walking distance. Fans could hike up Ottawa Street to the Tim Horton's or Dairy Queen. Strykerz Kitchen and Bar in the same plaza may be an option, but it is pretty small. The best bet would be to head downtown or take the highway out to Sportsworld. Downtown, fans might want to try The Grand Trunk Saloon, TWH Social, Bobby O'Brien’s or McCabe’s. Out by Sportsworld Moose Winooski's or Borealis are the choices. For a truly genuine Kitchener experience, fans should look into eating a pre-game meal at the Concordia Club or The Metro. Kitchener celebrates the largest Bavarian festival outside of Germany in Oktoberfest.
Other sporting options locally would have to begin with the headline Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League, who play in the Dom Cardillo Arena on the other side of the hall. The KW Titans of the BSL also play here in the winter. When the nicer weather hits, then the Kitchener Panthers can be found on the other side of the parking lot at Jack Couch Ball Park. Other sporting options include hopping over to Kitchener’s twin city, Waterloo to catch some local university action. The Waterloo Warriors call the PAC home to basketball, Warrior Field home to football and Columbia IceField home to hockey. The Laurier Golden Hawks play their football games at Knight-Newbrough Field at University Stadium, their hockey games at Sun Life Financial Arena at Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex, and their basketball games at WLU Athletic Complex.
Other tourist options include The Museum, Ken Seling Waterloo Region Museum, Bingeman Park and Joseph Schneider Haus. Kitchener-Waterloo is most well known for Oktoberfest, which takes place starting with Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.
Fans who are staying in town overnight should head downtown. The Walper Hotel and Crowne Plaza Kitchener-Waterloo are good selections.
Fans 3
Fans are difficult to assess in the OJLL as attendance figures are not reported. An anecdotal observation shows that support for the Kodiaks has increased with a better showing in the win column for the 2026 season. There is still plenty of space to move about, however, it feels a bit more like an event than in previous seasons.
Access 5
The Aud is located in the Auditorium District, which is east of Downtown Kitchener. Getting to The Aud is not difficult. It is immediately west of Highway 7, which is the main artery through Kitchener. There is plenty of parking on both the north and south sides of the complex, which should be entered from Ottawa Street or Stirling Avenue. For fans wishing to take public transit to the lacrosse game, there are buses that travel both Ottawa and Weber Streets. The light rail Ion train is a fair hike from the nearest station, so that may not be the best option. Fans should check out the Grand River Transit website for maps, fares and schedules.
Getting around the Kinsmen Arena is no issue at all as the building is not packed and there are not a ton of concession options. Fans with mobility issues are better served in the Kinsmen Arena than the Dom Cardillo Arena as there is not the main staircase to ascend in the Kinsmen. Washroom facilities for Kinsmen Arena are adequate for the event.
Return on Investment 4
The Kitchener Kodiaks are now part of the Auditorium ticketing system. Tickets now must be scanned as they are for major events. This means that tickets are now available online beforehand. Unfortunately, with this change has come an increase in price. Still very affordable, adult tickets now cost $16 with student and senior tickets going for $12.50. Parking is free and concession prices are decent. Overall, fans will have a good time at the Kodiaks game and not have to shell out a significant amount of money.
Extras 2
An extra mark for the Kitchener Kodiaks rebrand. A refreshing change for the branding of a franchise with significant longevity, one of the oldest clubs in the OJLL.
An extra mark for the alumni that have gone through the Kitchener program on to the National Lacrosse League. Such NLL legends as Colin Doyle, Dhane Smith, Aaron Wilson, Ryan Benesch and Steve “Chugger” Dietrich all played under the original Braves moniker in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Final Thoughts
The fresh identity for the Kitchener Kodiaks has breathed new life into the longtime OJLL franchise. The Kodiaks are hoping to build on their new look to attract a stronger audience and help them climb the standings in a league where success in the Twin Cities has been fleeting.
