Union College’s women’s hockey team is gearing up for a new season. It will begin a new era as Friday’s game will debut the much-anticipated new home of Garnet Chargers hockey.
The team has been practicing on their new rink in the newly opened M & T Bank Center for about three weeks.
Union’s head coach, Tony Maci, says players are excited for their first game at the Mohawk Harbor facility against Franklin Pierce.
“There’s a lot of excitement behind it, at the same time we got to be ready to go because I know they are excited to come here and play in this opening game as well, so we gotta make sure we are bringing our best with our habits and our details,” Maci said.
Fans are likely to notice some details in the arena, starting with the seating. Wooden bleachers are no more, as M & T Bank Center’s folding seats include backrests colored with Union’s maroon and black. There’s also a shrine dedicated to the college’s hockey history and the Messa Rink – the team’s former home since 1975 on the school’s Schenectady campus.
Maci, who will begin his second year as head coach this season, says he is feeling nostalgic about the Messa Rink but describes the new facilities as top-notch.
“We’ve got everything from the hot tubs, cold tubs, to lounges, light-up name plates, all the dry stalls, stuff up on the walls, we’ve got pretty much anything you can think of in there, we’ve also got our own athletic training facility in here as well as the athletic training room,” Maci said.
The $50 million arena features a 2,200-seat ice hockey rink with the ability to expand capacity to 3,600 for other sporting events, concerts and conventions. The complex is a key addition to Schenectady’s Mohawk Harbor development, which features apartments, hotels, dining and Rivers Casino and has been touted by local leaders as an economic engine in the Electric City.
Like their coach, Union players are thrilled about their new home.
Quinn Dunkle is a junior defenseman.
Dunkle says the M & T Center is a step up from the Messa Rink.
“We didn’t have a lounge or anything and the locker room was kind of tight, so now we have like a lot of open room, nice showers, a great lounge and great kitchen all in the same space and its just all really a level, a step up so, it’s nice,” Dunkle said.
Dunkle says everything about the new digs seem “pretty pro-level,” but there are a few features that stand out.
“The gym, everything is like super clean, super nice, its like no one has touched it before and then just like the stands and the openness of the rink itself, the arena is just so beautiful, ice is super bright, its just a great atmosphere out there,” Dunkle said.
Mallory Mauracher is a senior forward. She says the exclusiveness of the arena’s athletic facilities is one of her favorite aspects.
The hockey team used to share athletic facilities, like the weight room, with other sports teams – a facet of the Messa Rink that no longer applies.
“We had to share it with all the other sports teams on campus, which can get really crowded and hard to like get in there, but here, we can come pretty much whenever we want or need something, which is awesome,” Mauracher said.
The team will play two games against Franklin Pierce this weekend – one at Friday at 6:00 p.m. and another on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
The last time Franklin Pierce - a New Hampshire university - came to Schenectady was in 2021. That game ended in a 2 to 4 loss for the Garnet Chargers.
Mauracher has a message for the Ravens.
“Better watch out,” Mauracher said.
