The fans at the University of Maine’s Alfond Arena will be treated to a new visual and audio experience this coming hockey season.
When the Black Bear men’s and women’s hockey teams play their home openers, the arena will have a new high-definition center-hung display, additional LED end zone displays and an LED ribbon board courtesy of a collaboration between the school and ANC, an audio-visual integration company.
The Alfond Arena renovations are the latest update to come from the $90 million gift the Harold Alfond Foundation provided the UMaine athletic department for upgrades to its athletic facilities.
The improvements will be completed this fall.
Each screen on the center-hung display will be expanded from a little more than 9 by 9 feet to 11.02 feet high and 18.9 feet wide.
The two end zone displays will increase to 6.3 feet by 25.2 feet wide, and the existing north ribbon board display will upgrade to an expanded 166.93 feet wide.
The visuals will include real-time stat updates, game day action, advertisements and more.
The displays will be available for other events in addition to hockey games.
This the first phase of the Alfond Arena renovation project. A new concourse area, locker rooms and a workout room will be among the upgrades in the next phase, as well as film rooms, players lounges, offices and a development center.
This is the first significant upgrade to the Alfond Arena since a $4.85 million project in 2011 that included a new high-efficiency chiller system, concrete floor, upgraded seating and aisles in the lower bowl, a ducted dehumidifier system, an electric system and generator and new dasher boards and glass.
UMaine men’s hockey coach Ben Barr and women’s coach Molly Engstrom are excited about the upgrades.
“Our fans give Black Bear hockey the best game day environment in college hockey. These enhancements will only further the fan experience on game day,” Barr said. “We are committed to providing the best game day experience possible for the Alfond Faithful that are so supportive to our program.
Engstrom said it is a “thrilling” time for Maine hockey.
“We are grateful for the effort that has been made to start making improvements to the arena and we can’t wait to see the final product,” Engstrom said.
