Skate Frederick - Hood Blazers

Photos by Gregory Koch, Stadium Journey

Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.57

Skate Frederick 1288 Riverbend Way

Frederick, MD 21701

Hood Blazers website Skate Frederick website

Year Opened: 1999 Capacity: 300 (estimated)

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Ice Blazers in Frederick

The Hood Blazers are one of the newest college ice hockey programs, representing Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. The Blazers compete at the Division III level, and only have a women's hockey team, not a men's one. Since there is no ice rink on the Hood campus, the Blazers compete about three miles away at Skate Frederick, a local ice rink. There are two rinks at Skate Frederick, and the Blazers compete on Rink 2.

Hood's first season was 2024-25, and was complicated by ice issues at Skate Frederick, forcing them to play most of their home games at Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex, about 25 miles away, with a handful in Rockville, Maryland, which is even further. Those issues have been resolved, and the Blazers played most of their home games in Frederick this season, although a few were still played in Hagerstown due to conflicts with other events at the rink.

Food & Beverage 3

There is a snack bar located in the lobby of Skate Frederick, right across from the other rink (the one Hood doesn't play on). It has a good selection of items, including the usual snack bar favorites such as pizza, popcorn, pretzels, and nachos, as well as all-day breakfast options such as Belgian waffles, Danish pastries, and muffins. Water and soft drinks are also available.

This is an above-average selection, especially for this level, but two factors bring this score down a notch. First, if there is a public skating event on the other rink, as is often the case, you will encounter extremely long lines of small children and families if you try to get food. Second, you are unable to exit from the ice rink the Blazers play on directly to the lobby, as this is the door the players and referees use to get on and off the ice.

Instead, you have to exit the building and re-enter through the front doors, then walk through the lobby to get some food, then do the whole thing in reverse. This, combined with the lack of media timeouts at this level, means you may miss almost an entire period of action getting your food.

Atmosphere 2

Skate Frederick has a few rows of plastic bleachers set about ten feet back from the boards. Since the bleachers are not elevated above board level, you will have a partially obstructed view of that side of the ice. Additionally, some of the glass is chipped or dirty, making it difficult to see the action through it. None of the seats is above the glass, so you will be looking through it.

Heating lamps are located overhead, angled towards the stands, but they do not keep off the chill from the ice. This somehow manages to make it warm and cold simultaneously, and makes it hard to dress in temperature-appropriate clothing.

The net above the glass runs almost to the ceiling, meaning no pucks head into the seating area. A small scoreboard is located over the goal to the right of the bleachers, showing only the most basic information - score, time, period, and penalties. Other than music played during breaks in the action, there is not much going on here. It is a basic experience in a basic arena.

Neighborhood 4

Skate Frederick is located in a commercial area of Frederick, surrounded by businesses of all sorts.

Multiple shopping centers are located along Monocacy Boulevard and Liberty Road near the arena, although most of the options there are chain restaurants. If you're looking for a local option, head down Monocacy Boulevard about a mile to Pasquale's Pizza, which serves up fresh, delicious pizza, by the slice or whole pies. It is a local business and is of no relation to the infamous Chuck E. Cheese ghost kitchen of the same name.

Fans 3

Hood College will typically draw a few dozen fans to a hockey game - maybe a hundred if they're lucky. The fans are mostly friends and family of the players, although you do get some locals checking out the team as well. Since most of Hood's opponents play close by, a significant portion of the fans will be cheering for the visiting team. Division III hockey doesn't usually draw a lot of fans, and Hood is no exception.

However, those fans who do show up are deeply passionate. Many of them can be seen wearing Hood hockey jerseys themselves, a rarity at this level. Although this is a new team, the fans it has care deeply about them.

Access 2

Skate Frederick is located just off US Route 15, just north of where it intersects I-70 and I-270. However, once you get there, that's when the access issues begin. Skate Frederick is a dual rink facility, and if there is another event, such as a public skate, going on on the other rink, you will run into extreme difficulty finding a space to park.

Once you park, you can't enter through the main lobby. You will need to enter the rink directly through a sign-in door. There is a sign outside the door with the Hood logo saying to enter there for the game. This makes it easy to find. However, there is also a sign on the door saying not to enter through the door, nor exit through it, except in case of emergency, lest you degrade the ice quality. Ignore that sign - this is the only entrance or exit you will be able to use.

There is a door leading directly from the rink to the main lobby, but you are unable to reach it for Hood games, as there is a chain blocking your way. This is because referees and players use this door to get from the locker rooms to the ice and back, and the chain prevents your path from blocking theirs. As a result, you will need to exit the building entirely (through the supposedly forbidden door) and re-enter through the main lobby to get to the snack bar or restrooms.

Speaking of restrooms, they are sufficient for the crowds Hood draws, but if there is a public skate on the other rink, they will get crowded.

Return on Investment 4

When Stadium Journey attended a Hood Blazers hockey game, nobody was charging for admission. The worker in the lobby who directed us to the right entrance said that he thought Hood charged for admission, but nobody was doing that when we arrived.

There was a table near the entrance that someone might sit at and sell tickets, but it was empty. It is possible we just got lucky, and the ticket sellers hadn't arrived yet, but the table was still vacant when we checked again about 20 minutes before the opening face-off.

Even if it is free, there isn't enough here to earn the top score, and if tickets cost money normally, the value is even less.

Extras 0

There are no extras here. Skate Frederick is a very basic arena.

Final Thoughts

A Hood Blazers hockey game at Skate Frederick is a basic experience at a basic arena. In fact, to call this an arena is overselling it. That being said, if you're looking to watch a college hockey game in this part of the country, your options are rather limited. Fans in the Frederick area may want to check out a Hood game, but there is little reason to travel from outside the area unless you have a connection to one of the schools or are trying to visit as many hockey arenas as possible.