Bentley has announced plans for a new on-campus arena, a 2,000-seat state-of-the-art facility that will open in 2018.
The arena will be the ninth new facility in Division I in nine years. More than a dozen others have undergone significant renovations in that time.
New Arenas Since 1998 1998 1999 2001 2005 2006 2007 2010 2011 2013 2014 2015 2016 2018 (scheduled) |
"I am grateful to the Board, our president, leadership team and the many others involved for all their hard work and commitment to this project," said head coach and Bentley alum Ryan Soderquist. "As the hockey coach, it is a dream come true for me and clearly demonstrates the commitment to and excitement around our evolving Division I hockey program. The new venue pays tribute to all who have played for Bentley, the current team, and it will help us attract talented student-athletes to one of the top universities in the country."
Ongoing arena upgrades across college hockey have had a positive impact on player development, with on-site amenities like weight rooms, shooting bays and video rooms incorporated to help student-athletes reach their full potential.
"When we planned the team space, we put a lot of emphasis on player development," said Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson, whose team opened the Compton Family Ice Arena in 2011. "We have a weight room, a cardio room, rehab and medical facilities, a team meeting room. We've got shooting bays so that guys can come in and work on their shooting on or off the ice, even jumping in there between classes."
Bentley's new rink will be the third in a five-year span in Atlantic Hockey alone.
The proposed location for the arena is on Bentley's south campus in Waltham, Mass. The project is scheduled to begin construction in September 2016.