EASTON, Mass. (July 14, 2025) – Stonehill College men’s ice hockey head coach David Berard has announced the team’s leadership group for the upcoming 2025-26 season. Senior forward Frank Ireland and senior defenseman Evan Orr will serve as co-captains, while graduate goaltender Connor Androlewicz and sophomore forward Zach Aben have been named assistant captains.

Ireland returns as captain for the second consecutive season, while Orr is elevated to co-captain after serving as an assistant during the 2024-25 campaign. Androlewicz and Aben will wear a letter for the first time in their collegiate careers. The leadership group—consisting of two seniors, one graduate student, and one sophomore—brings a combined six years of experience within the Skyhawks program.

A cornerstone of the program since arriving on campus, Ireland has been part of Stonehill’s leadership core since his sophomore year and enters the season as one of just three four-year seniors on the roster. The Easton native leads all players in Stonehill’s NCAA Division I era with 74 career points (32 goals, 42 assists) in 95 games. In 2024-25, he tallied 12 points on six goals and six assists, including a power-play goal against LIU and a pair of multi-point efforts—one coming in an overtime win against Merrimack at Warrior Ice Arena on November 12.

Orr, a transfer from Michigan Tech, made an immediate impact in his first season with the program in 2024-25, earning NCAA Division I Independent Hockey All-Star honors. He recorded a career-best 15 points on eight goals and seven assists, ranking second on the team in goals and leading the Skyhawks with five game-winning tallies—three in overtime. One of those overtime winners secured a historic 3–2 road victory over No. 9 UMass Lowell, marking Stonehill’s first-ever win over a nationally ranked Division I opponent.

Androlewicz, who joined the Skyhawks from the University of Maine, turned in a breakout season in net during 2024-25. He appeared in 30 games, setting a Stonehill Division I single-season record with 11 wins while posting a 3.11 goals-against average. His stellar February earned him NCAA Division I Independent Co-Goaltender of the Month honors. Androlewicz also played a critical role in Stonehill’s four shutouts—another program record—sharing the crease with Linards Lipskis.

Aben enters his sophomore campaign after an impressive freshman season and becomes just the third sophomore in program history to earn a leadership role at the Division I level, joining current teammate Ireland and former Skyhawk, Carter Rapalje. In 30 games, Aben led all Skyhawk freshmen with 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) and was one of just two players to score a shorthanded goal, joining 2025 graduate Henri Schreifels.

The Skyhawks aim to build on a milestone 2024-25 season that featured a Division I era program-record 12 wins—an improvement of 10 victories from the previous year. Stonehill posted a 7-7 mark at home, captured 10 wins over Division I opponents, and earned road wins against Merrimack, Lake Superior State, UMass Lowell, and LIU—setting a new program benchmark for success away from home.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

College hockey’s importance to the professional game and its relevance on a national level have never been higher. 

But, for some schools, where college hockey ranks higher than any other sport, this newfound attention isn’t new to them. 

Many of the best programs in the NCAA have programs and stadiums of gargantuan size and importance to their school community. Here’s a ranking of the five largest arenas, by capacity, in Division 1 college hockey. 

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (Value City Arena) – 17,500

The Buckeyes play in a stadium that seats more fans than nine NHL teams’ home stadiums. Ohio’s NHL team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, only seats roughly 600 more fans at Nationwide Arena.

Value City Arena is located in the heart of Ohio State’s campus, and it’s a roughly 15-minute walk away from where the Buckeyes play their football games at Ohio Stadium. 

Like some college hockey arenas, Value City also hosts Ohio State’s men’s and women’s basketball games. It’s also hosted some major musical acts for concerts. 

The Buckeyes began playing college hockey in 1963 but have never won a national championship. They have two Frozen Four appearances and two conference tournament championships in the CCHA, but none since joining the Big Ten’s hockey conference. 

2. Wisconsin Badgers (Kohl Center) – 15,325

Opened in 1998, Madison’s Kohl Center is home to the six-time NCAA champion Wisconsin Badgers. 

Like Value City, the Kohl Center is also home to Wisconsin’s men’s and women’s basketball teams. It also regularly hosts the state’s high school basketball and wrestling tournaments.

The stadium was named after Wisconsin politician and businessman Herb Kohl, whose family owns the Kohl’s department stores. Kohl donated $25 million in 1995 for the construction of the stadium. 

Despite being around 2,000 seats smaller than Ohio State’s stadium, it had the nation’s second highest attendance last season, compared to the 18th highest for the Buckeyes. 

But don’t get all riled up just yet, sensitive Ohio State fans, you still have an all-time record of 36-28-5 record against the Badgers. 

3. North Dakota Fighting Hawks (Ralph Engelstad Arena) – 11,640

Even though it comes in as third on this list, North Dakota’s home arena, often referred to as just ‘The Ralph,’ is generally regarded as one of the nation’s college hockey stadiums. 

It’s been called the “Taj Mahal of Hockey” and in 2004 the New York Times called it “the Little Rink on the Prairie.” 

The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, labeled it as “one of the most beautiful buildings we have in North America.” I assume he’s just talking about hockey stadiums or else Memphis’ Bass Pro Shop Pyramid would like to have a word. 

It opened in October of 2001 with a $104 million price tag. It has many features that you can’t usually find in college or even professional hockey stadiums, like granite floors in the concourse and cherry wood seats with leather cushions.  

In a state without professional sports or much else to do besides visit Mount Rushmore, which isn’t even in their state, it makes sense that their college hockey team gets all the focus. 

4. Minnesota Gophers (3M Arena) – 10,000

The Minnesota Gophers’ college hockey team is one of the best and most storied in the country, according to Minnesota Gophers fans. 

For anyone who’s ever attended a game where the Gophers are playing and has had to endure thousands of people spelling out their state’s name every time they score, you’ll know they have a strong fan base. 

When you enter the stadium, there’s a sign that says, “Through these gates walk the greatest fans in college hockey.”

They’ve won five national championships, but none since 2003, back when having a Nokia smartphone was a significant status symbol. 

The 3M Arena, whose legal government name is the 3M Arena at Maricucci, was opened in 1993. 

Minnesota-based conglomerate 3M purchased the naming rights for $11.2 million in 2017, but they only paid enough for the stadium to still technically not be called 3M Arena by its fans.

5. UMass Minutemen (Mullins Memorial Center) – 8,387

UMass Amherst’s college hockey team is another of the oldest and most storied programs in the country. 

The team is so old that for much of the program’s early history, they played their games outside on a campus pond. Multiple seasons in their early years were altered by poor weather conditions that made it challenging to play.

The Minutemen won their first NCAA championship in 2021. 

The Mullins Center is also the home of UMass’ men’s and women’s basketball teams. 

It was named after state legislator William Mullins, who proposed in 1985 that the university should have a multipurpose arena on its campus. Someday, I want something named after me just because I asked for it to exist. 

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Wyatt Stowell, member of the Arizona Hockey Union’s mite team, lifts the Tino Cup after winning the tournament during the Ultimate Goalie Showdown on June 17, 2025. (Photo by Ash Cavanaugh/Cronkite News)

GILBERT – Almost 15 months have passed since Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo announced that the organization failed to reach a deal on an arena and that the team would relocate to Salt Lake City effective immediately. It was a harrowing moment for hockey fans across the Valley, as their franchise had been ripped away from them.

“One of the biggest parts of the team being here was getting the ball rolling for the sport,” said Shane Doan, a Coyotes legend. “Whether it’s from the youth level to the collegiate level the momentum needs to continue.”

What is next for the future of hockey in Arizona?

The Coyotes are a fixture of the past, and Arizonans have turned their hockey appetite toward Arizona State hockey and charity events, one of which was hosted in June featuring several former NHLers.

The Sun Devils made it all the way to the NCHC semifinals this past season, just two wins away from an appearance in the NCAA Tournament

“Hockey is such a big fabric in our community, even without the NHL,” Sun Devil hockey coach Greg Powers said. “This area’s a melting pot of people all over and I don’t think the sport is going away.”

Buffalo Sabres winger Josh Doan, son of all time Coyotes leading scorer Shane, grew up in Scottsdale playing hockey and was one of the few current players skating at the June event.

“Packed house today with over a dozen kids here at the event which is great to see,” Josh said. “I was once in their shoes being from here and the future of the sport is in their hands with the job being to grow the sport.”

Shane Doan, former Arizona Coyotes captain and legend, smiles during the warmups of his first game of the Tino Cup at the Ultimate Goalie Showdown at AZ ICE in Gilbert, AZ on June 17, 2025. (Photo by Aishling Cavanaugh/Cronkite News)

There have been several groups who want to bring a team back to the Valley, but there’s likely a steep hill to climb for that to come to fruition.

The buzz has seemed to be mostly around ASU hockey, but high school hockey has also received attention with Arizona recently moving its state championship game to Mullet Arena.

ASU hockey remains popular and recorded the 13th highest attendance in college hockey last season, overselling the arena at an average of 101.5 percent.

As for most sports, youth participation is key when it comes to popularity. The hope is that this will be the first domino to fall when it comes to adding a new team to Phoenix in the name of hockey.

That state’s participation in youth hockey grew 5% from 2021-22 to 2022-23, according to a USA Hockey report, and its most recent numbers suggest a slight increase, although not as much as in the past.

“Two reasons for hosting the event were to raise money and get hockey going again in the Valley,” said Eddie Lack, a former NHL goaltender and Scottsdale real estate agent. “This is the best way to do it while business groups work to file a bid to bring a team back.”

Lack hosted the event and hopes to bring it back for years to come.

It’ll have to be a collaborative effort for hockey to continue its trajectory in the state, but the framework has been laid out.

“Obviously, it was tough for the chapter of hockey to close here,” Shane said, “It wasn’t exactly what everybody in Arizona hockey wanted. But there’ll be another chapter, and when that happens it’ll be exciting.”

Time will tell if hockey just shouldn’t work in the deathly hot desert known as Arizona, or whether it should be given another through further development of ice hockey at all levels.