SHU breaks ground on arena
FAIRFIELD — The men’s hockey coach had been waiting for this day for 10 years, always right around the corner. The women’s coach had been talking about it with the school administration for almost 20 years.
At last the shovels, both real and ceremonial, are in the ground for Martire Family Arena, the new home of Sacred Heart’s varsity hockey, club hockey and figure skating programs.
“There are many people out there that haven’t, but I have always believed,” men’s coach C.J. Marottolo said. “I believed in the administration, believed in
the president. They told me it was going to happen. Good things take time.
“What I’m most proud of is past players, present players and future all have a place we can call home. We haven’t had that, and that’s cool for this program.”
The Pioneers’ men’s team plans to play the building’s first game on Jan. 14, 2023, against Boston College, the school announced at a groundbreaking ceremony Monday morning. The women will play their first game at their new home a day later against Harvard.
The rink, delayed just a bit by the COVID-19 pandemic, will go up on the school’s West Campus, the former General Electric headquarters, which it bought in 2016.
“To see it come to action, the steps being taken, it’s huge for the program and the university as a whole,” women’s team captain Jordan Sanislo said.
“It’s got amenities other programs don’t have. It will give an advantage for our program to excel on and off the ice.”
Frank Martire is the chairman of the university’s board of trustees. Frank and Marisa Martire gave $5 million toward the $70 million arena project, university president John Petillo said., and they’ve contributed to many other school projects and programs.
“What will make it perfect?” Martire asked the crowd.
“When we put that NCAA championship hockey, men or women’s, flag up there hanging from the arena rafters, won’t that be very special and make it perfect? And it is going to happen.”
Marottolo loved that the new building’s amenities will be geared toward player development. The coaches called the amenities “state of the art” over and over.
“Strength and conditioning, our equipment room are going to to be a huge benefit, our athletic training areas,” women’s hockey coach Thomas O’Malley said. “(Players) can prepare for practice, prepare for games, recover from injury.
“The colors in the arena, that’s going to be huge. It’s just going to be homehome.”
The women’s team has played at The Rinks at Shelton. The men’s team moved full-time to Webster Bank Arena in 2016; it had played some games there earlier while skating at Milford Ice Pavilion. The figure skating team has been based at Bridgeport’s Wonderland of Ice.
“To go to your rink, call it home, see your colors on wall, your classmates cheering for you will be an unbelievable experience,” Sanislo said. “I’m happy our program and my teammates get to be a part of that.”
Notre Dame-Fairfield, across the street from Sacred Heart’s main campus and down the block from the new rink, will play there as well, athletic director Rob Bleggi said. Officials from the CIAC, the state’s high school athletics governing body, were in attendance Monday.
The captains of the varsity and club hockey teams and figure skating team presented the Martires with gifts.
“I just can’t wait to see this new rink go up and, in a few years, come back with my classmates and watch a good game,” men’s captain Marc Johnstone said. “It’s going to mean a lot to have a nice home for all the new future players we have in the program coming forward and to see what’s next for the program, and get that first championship.”