Women’s ice hockey receives new storage space at Loring Arena

By Izabela Gage Editorial Staff The Framingham State women’s ice hockey team began using a newly installed storage and meeting space adjacent to Loring Arena in early February, according to Robert Totino, vice president of Administration, Finance, and Technology. The trailer unit, located outside the city-owned rink, provides the team with a designated area to store equipment, change, and hold team meetings before practices and games. According to Ryan Hacker, associate vice president of Facilities & Capital Planning, the initial trailer rental cost $14,397.50, with a monthly $2,451 rental cost for February and March. During the program’s inaugural 2024-25 season and the beginning of the 2025-26 season, players were required to store their equipment at the Maple Street Athletic Facility before traveling to Loring Arena for ice time. Due to security concerns, the Maple Street facilities are locked when students or staff are not using them. Head Coach Robert Lavin had to unlock the storage room for the team to obtain or return their equipment and uniforms before and after every game and practice. The Maple Street Athletic Facility is roughly an 8-minute walk off campus and a 5-minute drive from Loring Arena. Unlike the women’s team, the men’s ice hockey program has had a permanent storage situation within the arena. Totino said the University began working with the City of Framingham in March 2025 to explore options for an on-site storage solution. He said after discussion about finding a space inside Loring Arena, adding a trailer outside of the building “was a better direction for the City of Framingham.” Hacker said the general contractor and permitting process cost $16,363. He said the electrical installation cost $7,000, and the electrical costs have not been determined, but he assumes it will be approximately $2,000 for January through April, which will be reimbursed to Loring Arena. Deputy Director of Athletics Carey Eggen said the total cost of $53,662 is “not included in the budget numbers” of the women’s ice hockey team for FY26, and the Athletic Department “will be paying for this out of the Athletics Trust Fund.” According to Totino, the University has been “working aggressively, especially this past fall, with multiple departments in the City of Framingham, like the building division, the Parks and Recreation division, and the City Solicitor’s Office to move this along.” Totino said a general contractor, One Source Construction, was selected in December, and the University worked to secure building and utility permits from the city. The trailer was originally scheduled for delivery in late December but was delayed due to weather conditions, according to Totino. Totino said the trailer arrived on Jan. 5 after approximately one week of delay, and members of the Office of Facilities & Capital Planning then worked weekly with city officials to obtain required permits and finalize installation specifications, including electrical and safety features. Assistance from Keefe Regional Technical School was used to install the conduit for electricity to power the unit, and additional permitting was required after the city requested overhead electrical installation, according to Totino. Totino said city inspectors conducted multiple site visits during January as installation progressed, and the timeline was delayed because it was “a lot of agreement on the process to have this unit on their property. You have to follow city rules.” Totino said the final occupancy permit was issued Feb. 4, and “the Facilities team gave the keys to the athletic staff on February 5.” He said Loring Arena is expected to undergo a roof replacement this spring and summer, which will require removal of the trailer at the conclusion of the current season. The University is considering bringing the trailer back for the 2026-27 season. “We will take important feedback,” Totino said. “We hope to see if this is an environment that is conducive for the women's team.” He said if the roof project proceeds as scheduled, the University will hopefully store the trailer somewhere off-site and bring it back after the new roof has been installed on the arena. According to Hacker, the trailer removal will cost an anticipated $9,000, which will also be paid for out of the Athletics Trust Fund. Totino said now knowing it’s “a multi-month process, we can start to work with the city well in advance to have it ready by the time practice starts in October 2026.” Totino said he is “very appreciative of the women's ice hockey team for their patience. It’s been a much longer process to identify work, find a trailer company, find a contractor to install it, work with the City of Framingham on all the necessary permits, and then have it ready.” For FY25, men’s ice hockey was allocated $140,071, and women’s ice hockey was allocated $131,971. In FY26, men’s ice hockey was allocated $144,145, and women’s ice hockey was allocated $127,144. Eggen said the women’s ice hockey program required more funding for equipment during its inaugural season. When the women’s ice hockey program was starting up, the team needed more money for jerseys, helmets, and other equipment, and going into their second season in FY26, they did not need as large an allocation as they did in FY25, she added. According to Eggen, differences in annual operating costs between the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams are largely related to busing and ice fees. She said because the men’s ice hockey team has 29 players, they pay for a larger bus, compared to the women’s ice hockey team, which rosters only 22 players. She added ice cost fees are the largest component of each team’s budget. The fees are more expensive depending on the time slot during which the teams practice. Lavin said he and the team are “pretty excited” about the new space. He said, “It's a nice and open spot, and I think it's going to be a really good spot in future years. … It's a lot easier leaving from the rink and less movement going from the locker rooms and to the field and back.” Lavin said he believes it’s “going to be probably the best scenario for us, and it's going to be great next year once we have time to personalize it more.” He added, “I think everyone is happy. The girls are happy. I'm good. It gives us a place to put our pucks and not just lug them around anymore.” Lavin said he thinks the team feels respected. “It just legitimizes it - somewhere that's theirs and not like a public space. So, it gives them their own little spot that they can personalize a little bit better. … They don't have to leave as early, and they can get back a little earlier. It probably saves them half an hour a day, which adds up.” He said the team just “wants to play hockey.” Sophomore Sarah Lewis said, “We were all super excited and grateful when we first saw the new space. We know a lot of work was put into getting it for us. “The new space at the rink has made it easier for us since we get to sleep in a little longer every morning,” she added. She said, “We understand that a lot of work was put into this and appreciate everyone, especially our coach, for making this happen.” Sophomore Amy Tansek said the field house was being used by other teams, so “our stuff sometimes would be moved, and we couldn’t really air things out. Now we can air out our stuff and not have to worry about it being in the way.” She said, “Everything has a process, and I’m just glad now that we have the foundations down, we get to finish this season with a locker room, and will probably get to start off next season with one. “After two years of not having one, this tells us all that changes are being made for the better, and we can only go up from here,” she added. Sophomore Finley Hogan said, “It makes it a lot easier than having to time going to the field house to grab all of our gear, and we can’t really forget anything for home games, which is nice.” She said because they have their own space, they “have a lot more hanging space for our gear so it can dry more efficiently.” Hogan said the team is happy, but “not overjoyed.” She said she believes the Athletic Department “made the best of what they could have at the time, and when something better presented itself, the opportunity was taken to go for it. “I would say we felt respected before at the attempt to help us, but it definitely makes us feel more even with the accommodations that the men’s team has,” she added. Sophomore Brigid Milligan said, “We are able to just wake up and go straight to the rink rather than having to get up earlier to go to the athletics field and load our cars up and unload them.” Milligan said, “It would have been nice for it to happen sooner, but we are young and a new team, so there’s going to be some flaws we have to expect and be patient with.” She added, “We definitely feel more valued. I think our shared space is able to bring us closer together.” Sophomore Alyssa Tansek said, “Getting this upgrade means a lot to the girls. … Knowing that future classes will have a space to call their own is essential.” She added having a space to themselves “definitely makes us feel like a more established program.” Sophomore Lila Chamoun said, “The team is super excited to have our own space at the rink. It makes things so much easier, especially in the morning before practice. It’s just so much more convenient.” She said the biggest difference with the new space is “the amount of time we have between waking up and getting on the ice. Not having to make the extra stop at the athletic fields gives us more time to get ready and really wake ourselves up before having to skate.” Chamoun said, “Our coach worked super hard to try and find somewhere for us, and once the Athletic Department finalized getting us a trailer, we were really excited and really grateful.” She added, “Obviously, we would’ve liked to have it sooner, but we understand how much work had to be put in to get us this space, and we appreciate having it.” Freshman Ella Conway said, “When we first saw the trailer, we were all very excited about it. It has a lot of open space for us to store our gear. It has hooks and shelves, which is nice for airing out our gear, and there are three different rooms inside the trailer. There’s even a bathroom. It’s very nice and spacious inside.” She said it’s easier for the team to access their gear and sticks because they don’t have to move their equipment back and forth. The bus situation also improved because the team used to have to be picked up at the field house for games, but now they are able to be picked up at Loring. Conway said the team was told the trailer would “be here at the end of October. … But we didn’t end up getting it until the beginning of February. We were all excited about this trailer, but we didn’t see it until about four months later.” She said, “I know it’s our second year as a program, but at the same time, we shouldn’t be storing our gear in a field house while the men get to store their gear at the rink in a locker room. “If you know you are starting a new program, you need to have an accessible space for them to store their gear, no matter what sport it is - men or women,” she added. She said, “Some of our jerseys don’t even fit us. The shoulder pads are big, and jerseys can’t be tight because you need your shoulders to hold a stick, to move, and to make a save. Some girls have holes in their socks so big that you can see their whole kneecap, but it’s fine for the men’s team to do a whole new jersey reveal one night.”