GEDDES -- Last Saturday afternoon at the State Fairgrounds, the Mirabito Crunch Outdoor Classic took place in front of 21,508 people, an all-time record crowd for an AHL hockey game.
Fortunately, weather conditions for the game were nearly perfect, and I’m happy to say, just as forecast. The game time temperature was 34 degrees with just the hint of a few flurries in the air under a mostly cloudy sky. All worked out well.
What you may not be aware of however are the weather and ice issues that were being dealt with behind the scenes. Let me tell you a little about those issues and take you behind the scenes last Friday night through game time.
First, if you recall last Friday’s weather, it was overcast and damp with drizzle and freezing drizzle. The humidity was high all day and into Friday evening. Not an issue for most of us, unless you're Jim Hartnett and you’re in charge of the outdoor ice rink at the State Fairgrounds - where high humidity at 30 degrees can be a real problem. This is a case where exact hour-by-hour temperatures and humidity readings are crucial to the refrigeration system for the best ice, particularly when you are outdoors and not in a climate-controlled environment. Keep in mind, any temperature above 32 degrees means melting can occur, and thus the importance of the refrigeration system, or the “chiller” as it is called.
On my end, I kept a close watch on the temperature and humidity and updated Jim and his crew several times Friday and Saturday. It looked like Mother Nature would cooperate as I saw most of the drizzle ending and humidity levels slowly dropping, so the rinks refrigeration system could work more efficiently.
Next it was game day. The humidity and temperatures were looking good.
One less thing to worry about, but, as expected, winds were gusting to 25 miles per hour out of the west to northwest, and with the alignment of the rink, this meant either a head wind or a tail wind for the Crunch and Senators depending on which way they were skating. That’s all well and good for the first two periods as they switched ends, but what about the third period? Who gets the wind advantage? What can be done to make it fair?
Well, if you watched the game, you may have noticed the referee blew his whistle midway through period three and the teams switched sides. Rod Pasma, Vice President of Operations for the AHL and I chatted about this wind issue before and during the game, and Rod also spoke with the refs and linesmen in between periods asking their opinion of “What’s the wind like out there?” Based on everyone putting their heads together, it was decided to change ends roughly halfway through the third period.
Lastly, with a very fine light snow or flurries falling at times, you may also have noticed the ice being shoveled at times by the great players of the Syracuse University women’s hockey team. Something else that typically never happens at an indoor game.
So there you go. A little of the behind the scenes weather mayhem that took place before and during the game. The most important thing however is the end result, and it all came together.
Now we head towards March with an eye on a playoff spot, taking those once in a lifetime outdoor memories with us, fans, players and Crunch staff alike. Yes, what a time it was, and what a time it will be when we’re in the playoffs!
