Both of UConn’s hockey coaches got the same feeling, that Christmas-morning feeling that parents get, when the doors opened at their new home.
“It was like my kids waiting at the top of the stairs Christmas morning waiting to come down,” said Mike Cavanaugh, who coaches the 11th-ranked men’s team. “They were already there, bags packed at 9:30 a.m. When they came over, I just let them walk around the building for 40 or 45 minutes and see everything it has to offer.”
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was Thursday, with Gov. Ned Lamont on hand for the official public opening of the Toscano Family Ice Forum. The UConn women’s team, ranked 15th, will play the first game there Friday, and both teams will play in a doubleheader Saturday to mark the official opening of the $70 million hockey home on campus.
But the bows were unknotted and the package unwrapped on Jan. 2, the day both teams moved their gear in and practiced there for the first time. Batteries may not be included, but ranked hockey programs are.
“If you have children, it was a lot like watching them open Christmas presents,” said Chris MacKenzie, women’s hockey coach. “Having our players go in for the first time was really rewarding. They had every range of emotion possible. We saw tears, Dan Toscano came out with his son to skate with us the first practice, we got out on the ice. It was a special moment. I think our team saw, wow, this is a legitimate investment. Some of them thought they were at a visiting team rink.”
The growth of both hockey programs has been an ongoing process, since UConn joined Hockey East, one of the nation’s top conferences, in 2012. Both have been knocking on the door, reaching as far as the conference championship game.
This season, both have been ranked from the start. The men’s team, 13-6-3, 8-5-1 in the conference, is well positioned for an at-large NCAA bid. The women’s program (13-8-2, 7-7-2, one of 36 in the country, will have some work to do to make the 11-team NCAA Tournament. Both can make a statement with wins to open the new rink.
The men, who lost to Northeastern at Fenway Park last Saturday, face a rematch at 7:35 p.m. Saturday. The women play Merrimack on Friday at 6 and Vermont Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
“People will see, here’s a hard-working team that represents UConn well,” MacKenzie said. “When I think of my team, there’s a bunch of great student-athletes who want to do well for their university. When you find people that care, it creates a great environment.”
Remaining games at the 2,600-seat arena are sold out, the school announced Thursday. The new arena is big on amenities, including multiple fire places. It can be expanded in the future to meet conference needs. The men will continue to play high-profile games at the XL Center.
But there is little doubt the opening marks the end of one era, and the beginning of a new one. In the rearview mirror is the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum, which will be repurposed, perhaps as a new home for UConn volleyball, and in mind’s eye for the long-time fan, the wooden, open air rink where UConn played home games from the 1965-1998.
Ryan Tyson, Pat Kirkland and Billy Latta, Cavanaugh’s first three captains, will be back for the opening.
“I didn’t know this until I got in my office,” Cavanaugh said. “But when I look out my office window, I see the Freitas and I think it’s very important. I’m going to explain again to our players, you can’t forget your roots. The first three captains I had will be back this weekend and any time I look at the Freitas, I think of them, guys like that who helped build the program to where it is today.”
The hockey teams now have weight training facilities and everything else they need housed in one building, “one-stop shopping,” MacKenzie said. The coaches have already seen players there working at all hours, with the space available. The players’ lounges have, naturally, been popular features.
The facility, too, figures to help both programs recruit better and better players.
“Walking in here, it was special,” said Hudson Schandor, one of the men’s hockey captains. “To put it simply, it was really special. I think coming back from Christmas, a lot of us coming from out of the country or the west coast, leaving on Christmas Day wasn’t the best. But we get to come back and walk into that new rink, it was like Christmas Day, only we week later. It was a special feeling for all of us, a long time coming for this program. Guys from the past have worked and earned this, and we’re the beneficiaries this time and we’re hoping to grow and continue this program for the better.”
Dom Amore can be reached at damore@courant.com
