About Facility
The University of Connecticut Huskies Ice Rink Facility stands as a premier hub for collegiate ice hockey, embodying the university’s dedication to athletic excellence and community engagement. Home to the UConn Huskies men’s and women’s ice hockey teams, this state-of-the-art facility is designed to provide an exceptional environment for both athletes and spectators.
Spanning an impressive area, the ice rink boasts cutting-edge amenities, including a meticulously maintained ice surface, advanced training and conditioning areas, and modern locker rooms equipped with the latest in sports technology. The facility also features spacious seating arrangements, ensuring an enjoyable and immersive experience for fans and supporters.
“I CAN’T HEAR WHAT JEREMY SAYS BECAUSE I HAVE MY TWO STANLEY CUP RINGS PLUGGED IN MY EAR.”
Patrick Roy- 1996 Stanley Cup Playoff
Scope of Work
The Toscano Family Ice Forum opened in January 2023, home to men’s and women’s Division I hockey teams and has a capacity of 2,600 spectators. The team facilities have full training and support for women’s and men’s student athletes, including team lounges, locker rooms with video displays, training space and strength and condition room.
The University’s design goal of maximizing environmentally sustainability was met in many ways throughout the facility. The ice system was designed by B32 Engineering Group, Inc. Like most similar facilities, the main challenge with the ice system design was designing an system that provided the high performance ice sheet expected and required for Division I play while meeting budget and space requirements set forth during design process.
B32 reviewed various options for the type of refrigerant and refrigeration system with the University including natural refrigerants like ammonia and CO2 and synthetic refrigerants. After several thorough discussions, it was determined that a synthetic based refrigeration system was best fi t for the University and this facility. It was important that the refrigerant be as environmental frieindly as possible so R-513 was selected. This refrigerant is a new blended refrigerant that has a much lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) than traditional synthetic refrigerants and has been promoted by the National Hockey League (NHL).
Waste heat is recovered from the system to increase it energy efficiency and used for serving the snow melt pit where ice shavings are dumped by the Olympia resurfacer and subfloor heating or frost protection system under the rink floor. The dasher board system is the state of art design featuring some of the latest systems for maximizing player safety while maintaining uninterrupted playability and providing great spectator viewing.