UConn Hockey is in need of a new on-campus home, and the leading location for the new arena is at the intersection of Routes 195 and 275, according to a source with knowledge of UConn’s Master Plan process.
The new arena would be located at what is now the site of the Mansfield Apartments.
UConn Hockey begins its first season in the elite Hockey East conference (it’s basically a thousand times better than the AAC) and men’s hockey will play all its home games at either the XL Center in Hartford or Webster Bank Arena in sunny Bridgeport. The women’s team will continue to play at the Freitas Ice Forum.
The Freitas Ice Forum, the on-campus facility that opened in 1998, only seats 2,000 and is still used as the hockey practice facility. In 2013-14, UConn averaged 1,077 fans per game, well below the Hockey East average of 4,100. Vermont, which was last in Hockey East in attendance last year, still brought more than three times the number of fans as UConn (3,665).
What this means is that UConn needs a bigger place to play, and right quick. Cause ain’t nobody got time to go to Hartford or Bridgeport (blech) for a college hockey game. Speaking from personal experience when UConn hockey was a lot less good, going to games on campus (tickets were $2!) was always a blast.
The intersection of 195 and 275, while not necessarily a walkable distance from most places on campus, is still essentially at UConn: close and with good traffic routes. This is really an ideal location for a new hockey facility that would put UConn on par with its new Hockey East rivals.
Details about the new hockey arena, as well as new on-campus housing, will be available when the Master Plan is released at the end of October.
While, as a Lowell alum, I fear the rise of UConn ice hockey I think there are plenty of worse places they could put the facility. IIRC, those apartments are campus housing, right? In spirit I’d be against losing any amount of campus housing but I think given the (suspect) terrain around the campus I think that’s the best option. Not having been back to campus since ’09 I’d wonder where the closest bar is… not wanting to walk clear across campus to go to Teds (hypothetically, I’m in DC… gotta think of my friends!).
The only other question at that point would be parking. I do not recall the proposed rink capacity but unless UConn has built a 3rd parking garage in the new downtown, game night could be… umm… interesting.
–Pat
Lowell ’04
UConn ’09