Niagara IceDogs

Rink: Meridian Centre
Capacity: 5,580
Built: 2014
League: OHL
City: St. Catharines, Ontario
Home Of: Niagara IceDogs
Games Attended: 15
First Game: October 16, 2014 vs Belleville
Most Recent Game: January 26, 2025 vs Erie
Unique Arena: #35
OHL Arena: #24

The Meridian Centre is a far cry from the old Jack Gatecliff Arena up the hill where the IceDogs began their days in St. Catharines back in 2007. The Dogs went from a small, cramped, decrepit pit to a spacious, modern gem of a facility that was built between the 406 and downtown St. Catharines. While there is very little on site parking, there are plenty of lots and parking garages within walking distance. Due to most people approaching the arena from the elevated St.Paul St, there are actually a pair of pedestrian bridges built connecting St.Paul St and the rink itself. It’s about the only rink in the CHL I can think of where you actually enter near roof level and have to make your way down to the concourse. Unfortunately, if you don’t have your tickets in hand then you have to go all the way down to the ground level to reach the box office then back up a flight of stairs to reach the main concourse at the top of the bowl.

Side note, the rink is actually built on the old parking lot that I used to frequent when going to games at the old Jack up the hill.

Once inside the Meridian Centre, at first glance it looks and mostly is a modern day OHL clone. Some 5,500 seats surround the ice surface with an open concourse around the top and a U level of suites, press boxes and VIP seating above. However, I would say that Niagara is a slight step up from sister rinks in Guelph, Soo and Sarnia, and closer to Oshawa on the clone rink scale. I remember the first time I stepped into this arena on opening night in 2014 I was very impressed and felt like it was an AHL-ready rink. It feels slightly bigger than the listed capacity would have you believe. I thought they could have made the video board slightly bigger but that’s just me being nitpicky.

Probably my only real complaint about the rink is the seating at the Zamboni end of the ice. The seating there is all retractable and the seats feel flimsy and tight. On top of that, the metal it sits on top of has a tendency to shift around (or at least it feels like it). These seats are cheaper, but to me aren’t worth the saved cost, they’re uncomfortable and I just try to avoid them. On the concourse above the retractable seating is a large open area which holds the city’s sports hall of fame, which is worth checking out at an intermission.

The atmosphere back at the Jack was amazing, and rarely when a team moves into a new modern facility does the old barn atmosphere follow along. However, the IceDogs are one of the rare exceptions. For the first several years the Meridian Centre was packed most nights and the noise level Niagara fans bring are among the best in Canadian CHL markets. That said in recent years the crowds have dwindled, and the atmosphere has taken a real hit, but the IceDogs fans get a big-time pass for this as the team has been so poorly run the last five years, they are basically protesting the owner by not showing up. I’m sure if the IceDogs ever stabilize or perhaps get new competent ownership then the fans will return. However hopefully that doesn’t take too long as the longer it takes the less chance you have of the people returning.

Overall, the Meridian Centre is a great facility and a worthy home for the hardcore fans who have supported the IceDogs since their arrival in 2007.