University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Celebrates Groundbreaking for New Ice Hockey Arena
5/22/2021 4:19:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey, Women's Ice Hockey
STORRS, Conn. – Saturday, May 22, 2021 will mark the beginning of a new era for the UConn men's and women's hockey programs with the official groundbreaking for the brand-new UConn Ice Hockey Arena on Jim Calhoun Way.
Joining current and former hockey student-athletes were Director of Athletics David Benedict and head coaches Mike Cavanaugh and Chris MacKenzie as well as new UConn Interim President Dr. Andre Agwunobi, UConn Board of Trustee Chairman Dan Toscano '87 and fellow Board of Trustee members Thomas Ritter, Esq., '77 and Marilda Gandara, Esq. '78 as well as Hockey East Association Commissioner Steve Metcalf.
In addition to the groundbreaking was the announcement of two major gifts that will assist with the project. Frank and Pat Longobardi, who were unable be there on Saturday, but Frank is a former UConn hockey student-athlete who graduated a year before Pat, in 1977. Frank recently retired as CEO of CohnReznick and committed $1,000,000 to the new hockey arena this spring. He joins a group of generous former student-athletes, which includes Tony Rizza and Doug Elliot, who have chosen to give back over $1,000,000 to their alma mater.
In addition, Peter Werth, the CEO of ChemWerth, Inc. once again stepped up in support of our student-athletes. He has been incredibly generous over the last several years and recently made a $7.5M gift to athletics, $2.5M of which will go towards the new hockey arena. With this gift Peter has given over $15M to UConn Athletics and over $37M to UConn overall.
Saturday's ceremony kicks-off the start of the building project for the new 2,600-seat arena, which will be located adjacent to the current Freitas Ice Arena in the Athletics District on Jim Calhoun Way. In the bowl, the seating will consist of 80% with seatbacks and 20% on benches. The team facilities will include full Division I training and support for the women's and men's teams; team lounges; dry locker area and locker rooms with video displays; locker rooms for the visiting teams; training space with a hydrotherapy area; strength and conditioning room; and other areas such as coaches' offices, a press box, dining area, ice plant and spaces for support services.
The new facility will also have a large center-hung display scoreboard with perimeter ribbon boards and will be designed to create an outstanding experience for fans with state-of-the-art sound and lighting features.
Fans will also be able to access an ice-level lounge behind the home goaltender with café table seating and food and beverage service. A student-only standing room deck will also be situated behind the opposing goaltender. The final design will also include aspects to make the facility as efficient as possible in energy and water use, in keeping with the University's commitment to make its capital projects as environmentally friendly as possible.
The new 97,300-square-foot facility will also meet all NCAA Division I ice hockey requirements and all Hockey East regulations, which the Freitas Ice Forum does not. With that in mind, Hockey East gave UConn some leeway when it allowed the University to join the conference for men's hockey despite needing time to provide an appropriate facility.
UConn Director of Athletics David Benedict – "Once all the earth has been moved and all the construction has been completed, this space will be occupied by one of the finest ice hockey facilities in the country. I want to thank the University leadership for their continued support of our student-athletes. Led by chairman Toscano, the Board of Trustees continued commitment ot the division of athletics has been the driving force behind the transformation of Jim Calhoun Way and our Olympic village."
"The Rizza Performance Center, Morrone Stadium, Elliot Ballpark, Burrill Family Field are wonderful homes to scores of our student-athletes and also make UConn a more attractive option for top-flight prospects. The facility that will stand in this space will be another transformational project and anyone who walks or drives on Jim Calhoun Way will be reminded of our institutional strength and the bright future that lies ahead."
University of Connecticut Interim President Dr. Andrew Agwunobi – "I wanted to show my support because athletics are so important to the University of Connecticut and to the whole state of Connecticut. The athletics district that we are occupying now is incredibly impressive and the addition of a hockey arena will certainly cap this area which is a source of great pride on our campus. I continue to be amazed by all the wonderful things that are happening on this campus. This is a great day for UConn hockey. A great day for the University of Connecticut and a great day for all of us. GO Huskies!"
UConn Board of Trustees Chairman Dan Toscano '87 – "On behalf of our student-athletes, I want to thank all the people who toiled to get a pile of dirt here so we can get this thing built and get into this rink and create championships with our student-athletes now and forever."
UConn Head Women's Hockey Coach Chris MacKenzie – "I have been here for eight years and we have been talking about building a rink forever. I see the shovels and now I believe it. This is a great day for our program and a great day for our University. This is a game-changer type of day for our program. We strive to be excellent in everything we do and this new rink will give an opportunity to our student-athletes to reach their fullest potential. This will be another beautiful building in what has become one of the best athletic districts in the country. We have spent twenty-plus years as a program in the Freitas Ice Forum and it's just humbling for me to be a part of this history of breaking ground on a new building that is going to take us to the next level. I believe this rink will bring us to the pinnacle of our sport and there is a lot of people to thank. The University leadership and Board of Trustees, we are excited and appreciative of this support."
UConn Head Men's Hockey Coach Mike Cavanaugh – "The late Bob Johnson, coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the University of Wisconsin had a famous saying known in every rink, 'It's a great day for hockey'. Today is a great day for UConn hockey. Not only will this arena help us attract top-end elite talent, more importantly, it will provide a vehicle for our players to maximize their potential and get to their dreams in life. For most of our guys, that is to graduate and get to the NHL, and this arena will certainly help enhance them on their journey. When you look at the two buildings, the Rizza Performance Center or you walk up and see that baseball field, if our rink can be anything like that, we are going to have the best facility in the entire country. When you are building a program from the ground up, you need an entire community to do that. That is what wins championships. You have to build that foundation or your program will crumble. It's all of you in this hockey community that are helping me do that and I can't thank you enough."
Hockey East Association Commissioner Steve Metcalf – "Hockey East is the home to some really iconic ice hockey rinks, some of the best in the country. Now UConn will join that group with this gorgeous new facility that will help to take these programs to new heights that they've never seen before."
