Courtesy of JLG Architects and SLAM Collaborative

Sacred Heart University broke ground this week on a $70 million hockey and skating arena that’s expected to welcome fans in January 2023 beginning with a men’s hockey match-up against Boston College and women’s match-up against Harvard University.

Designed by Glastonbury-based S/L/A/M Collaborative and JLG Architects, the facility located on the Fairfield university’s West Campus will also be home to the school’s figure skating and men’s club hockey teams.

The 122,000-square-foot facility includes a standard NHL-sized rink, tech-infused locker rooms, strength and conditioning facilities, sports medicine and hydrotherapy suites and a rapid-shot puck room for off-ice training. Facilities for the figure skating team include a training harness and locker room.

The facility at 3135 Easton Turnpike will be named after the Martire family, which donated $5 million toward its development. Frank Martire, a 1969 graduate of Sacred Heart, chairs the university’s board of trustees and is one of the owners of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights