UNH hockey coach Souza calls planned arena upgrades a 'game-changer'
Aug. 21—University of New Hampshire ice hockey players will no longer have to do their pregame stretches on the concourse of the Whittemore Center as fans file in.
UNH announced on Friday that it received a $4 million gift from 1987 graduate Anthony DiLorenzo that will be used to create a dedicated strength and conditioning space and upgrade other team areas inside the arena.
DiLorenzo's gift paired with $6 million in state funding leaves the university $6 million shy of its $16 million goal that will be used for the strength and conditioning space, to create a study, nutrition and fueling center for players and renovate the locker rooms and offices for coaches and administrative staff.
"I'm just humbled by his (DiLorenzo's) generosity. ... and I'm significantly grateful for Governor Sununu's willingness to get involved as well," said Mike Souza, the UNH men's hockey coach. "It's a game- changer for our program, to be quite honest with you. It's overdue and it's significant and it's super exciting."
The current strength and conditioning space inside the Whittemore Center, which opened in 1995, is a small room containing a handful of fitness bikes, treadmills and weights. The new space will give ice and field hockey players a convenient area to train and, Souza said, help alleviate some of the stress on the Field House across the street.
The Field House is used by UNH's more-than-500 student-athletes.
When he polled his players a few years ago about what additions they would like for the program, a proper strength and conditioning area was the top choice, Souza said.
According to UNH Director of Athletics Allison Rich, currently, if ice hockey players want to do additional training after getting off the ice, they usually cross the street to the Field House and then go back to their locker room at the Whittemore Center if they want to shower afterward.
Souza said having a dedicated strength and conditioning area at the arena and updated locker rooms will greatly benefit his program in the recruiting process and retaining student-athletes.
"It's become the standard. It's become the expectation," Souza said. "Everyone has varying philosophies on the state of college athletics today but the reality is elite facilities are a reality for elite programs."
Souza said he is also excited about the renovations providing players with a lounge, eating and study area that they can use in the arena. That area will help build and expand relationships between players and coaches, Souza said.
"I think coaching is predicated upon relationships and we pride ourselves on having incredible relationships with our student-athletes," Souza said. "Where there's meeting and eating spaces, people are more open to want to talk."
The Whittemore Center and next-door Hamel Recreation Center will now be called the Key Auto Group Complex. DiLorenzo is the owner and founder of Key Auto Group, which has 12 new and used car dealerships and collision centers in New Hampshire.
The next step in the renovation process, Rich said, will be working with architects so a plan is in place when the remaining funding for the project is secured.
Rich and Souza both said they hope construction can begin sometime next year.
Souza, a 2000 UNH graduate, compared the renovations to when he visited campus as a prospective student-athlete with his dad and saw the Whittemore Center, which at that time was under construction. Souza said playing at the new arena was among the many reasons he chose UNH.
"I want to have that same opportunity to showcase a facility that UNH hockey deserves, quite honestly," Souza said. "I'm proud that we're able to get to where we are right now in this process."
