One of the most storied facilities in Division III hockey, the historic Playland Ice Casino will once again be the home of the Manhattanville men's and women's hockey programs in 2014-15 after a two-year absence.
Playland served as the Valiants' home from 2002 until 2012, when parts of the facility were badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy. After two seasons at Terry Conners Rink in Stamford, Conn., Manhattanville will be back for its 11th season at the venerable facility, which was built in 1930 on the site of Westchester's Playland Amusement Park in nearby Rye, N.Y., beginning in the fall of 2014.
Once the practice home of the New York Rangers, Playland's rustic exterior is complemented by state-of-the art locker room, training and office facilities. The Valiant men's and women's hockey locker rooms include a sauna, whirlpool and individual locker stalls for all Manhattanville hockey players, giving Valiant teams some of the nicest facilities in Division III. Before the 2009-10 season, both locker rooms underwent complete renovations that installed new lockers and carpeting and also created a new video/media room and player lounge used for pre- and post-game meetings as well as post-game community events.
On game days, Playland's balcony and ice-level seating fills with rabid Manhattanville fans, who have made the Ice Casino one of the most difficult places to play in the nation in recent years. The Ice Casino has also seen its fair share of postseason hockey, most notably the 2006-07 NCAA Quarterfinal between the Valiant men and Babson College, a game that clinched Manhattanville's first Frozen Four appearance in program history. Playland's ice has also seen the Valiant men win one ECAC West Tournament Title (2006-07) and the Manhattanville women win six ECAC East Championships (2002-06, 2008) and an NCAA Quarterfinal (March 15, 2003 against Williams). The walls of the arena also display Manhattanville's many championship banners that proudly hang from the rink's rafters.
The Manhattanville programs have historically been very successful at Playland, as the men and women combined for an incredible 196-44-21 (.791) record in their first decade at the rink. The women's team is an amazing 112-18-7 (.843) all-time on the Playland ice, including a remarkable 85-6-2 (.925) against ECAC East Conference competition, while the men's team is 84-26-14 all-time at Playland and has only eight losses in 58 home non-conference games over that span.
The Ice Casino has three indoor rinks - two were added in 1937 - including a rink exclusively for children. The main 205'x80' ice surface is home not only to the Valiant men's and women's hockey teams but also to various youth teams in the area, open skating and individual lessons.
Playland was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark in 1987 and features more than 50 rides and attractions. Located along the Long Island Sound, Playland also features a beach, pool, boardwalk and pier. Owned and operated by Westchester County, Playland is the country's only government-run amusement park.
