The Islanders aren’t the only professional hockey team hitting the ice in Brooklyn this fall.
The New York Riveters — of the brand-new, four-team National Women’s Hockey League — will be playing nine games at Aviator Sports and Events Center starting on Oct. 18 against the Boston Pride.
Aviator’s rink, which can seat 2,000 fans, also hosts the city’s lone Tier 1 youth hockey program. The addition of women’s hockey to Aviator comes at the same time the Islanders get set to play in their new home at Barclays Center.
“For Aviator, this is a wonderful addition to the already strong hockey programming and community that we’ve built, said Dean Rivera, chief operating officer at Aviator Sports and Events Center. “We’re proud of the reputation we have and are excited to once again be home to a professional team at Aviator.”
League commissioner and general manager of the Riveters Dani Rylan felt Aviator was a perfect fit for the Riveters franchise, considering Floyd Bennett Field’s history as a naval air station complementing its brand logo — based on “Rosie the Riveter,” the feminist icon made famous when women took on factory jobs making warplanes during World War II.
“Aviator is a great fit for the Riveters in so many ways,” Rylan said. “With a team playing in New York City we’re poised to kick-off our inaugural season with a prime market for our players to shine.”
The league will also have teams in Boston, Connecticut and Buffalo. Special theme nights will accompany many of the games, including “Strides for the Cure” to support cancer patients and families, and “Military Appreciation Night” benefitting Defending the Blue Line, a hockey charity for kids of members of the armed forces. There will also be a canned-food and coat drive, a youth hockey night, and a hockey parent appreciation night.
The team’s players are excited to call Brooklyn home and can’t wait to show off their skill to fans at Aviator.
“It’s exciting to play in Brooklyn,” said Meghan Fardelmann, a forward out of Boston College. “We’ll be in the heart of it all. Being in New York City helps us with the very important mission to grow the sport of hockey to families in New York City.”
