Riveters women’s hockey team inks three-year deal to make American Dream its home ice

“A pro hockey team in New Jersey, playing its home games in the middle of a shopping mall. Kind of perfect?”

That was ESPN writer Greg Wyshynski’s Twitter comment on the news released today that the Metropolitan Riveters of the Premier Hockey Federation (formerly the New York Riveters of the National Women’s Hockey League) had entered into a three-year agreement with American Dream to practice and play its home games at the mega-mall in the Meadowlands.

“The unrivaled entertainment and retail at American Dream will let us reimagine hockey together with a revolutionary fan experience that breaks the traditional game day experience,” said Riveters president Digit Murphy.

Riveters tickets will be sold for some 2,000 seats surrounding American Dream’s NHL-regulation rink, where the New Jersey Devils have held some practices. Before moving to the Prudential Center in Newark, the Devils played their home games at the Meadowlands’ Izod Center.

It’s expected that mall visitors will be able to sample games for free from the concourses on the two levels above the rink.

“American Dream is committed to growing the game and supporting female athletes, and I am beyond excited to call the complex home for many years to come,” said Riveters captain, Madison Packer.

The seven-team PHF premiered last year with six teams which -- besides the Riveters -- include the Boston Pride, the Buffalo Beauts, the Connecticut Whale, the Metropolitan Riveters, the Minnesota Whitecaps, and the Toronto Six. Two new teams will join the league this year: the Montreal Force and an as-yet-unnamed United States franchise.

“As a lifelong hockey fan, I am thrilled to have a professional team call American Dream home,” said American Dream CEO Don Ghermezian, who added that this presented an opportunity for a retail center to re-imagine a sporting event.