ORONO — Right now, the area surrounding the southern edge of Alfond Arena is a fenced-in muddy crater. By the end of 2025, though, it could be the most visible piece of the University of Maine’s athletic facilities improvement project to date. Construction began this spring on improvements at Alfond Arena, which opened in 1977 as home to the school’s hockey programs and was renovated in 1992.
When this 4,900-square foot expansion is complete, the arena will feature a new entrance, updated concourses and new concessions, as well as a new team store and Maine Hockey Hall of Fame. The men’s and women’s hockey teams will also have new locker and weight rooms, team offices, team lounges, and a video room. “We’re super excited for the opportunity for our student-athletes, first and foremost.
It’s moving along at a really good pace and on time,” said UMaine Athletic Director Jude Killy, who toured the construction site Wednesday afternoon with media. Kiley was joined by Jacob Olsen, project manager for the UMaine system. The Alfond Arena expansion and renovation is part of ongoing improvements to the university’s athletic infrastructure.
Made possible by a $170 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation, projects already completed include a $9.5 million softball complex, a new turf field hockey field, and a dome practice facility. Future projects include a new soccer field and track, improvements to Alfond Stadium (home of the football team), and Morse Arena, which will be home to the Black Bears’ basketball teams.
UMaine alumni Phillip and Sandy Morse donated $10 million for the naming rights to the new basketball arena. Standing where the new entrance to Alfond Arena will be, Olsen pointed at the work being done where the Black Bears will have new locker rooms. “When you bring recruits in, they’re going to be wowed by this facility,” Olsen said.
The project is on schedule to be completed by the end of 2025. The new entrance will be a combination of glass and brick, Olsen said, incorporating old and new styles in what he described as “origami design.” The entrance will be designed to make Maine fans and opponents feel welcome, but also realize they’re walking into a boisterous arena.
“We want people to be welcomed but intimidated at the same time,” Olsen said. For now, both UMaine hockey teams will continue to use their current locker and weight rooms. When the 2024-25 hockey season concludes, work will begin on that portion of the project, Olsen said.
Coaches are currently working in the luxury suites overlooking the ice but will soon move into nearby Crossland Hall, which also houses the Franco American Centre. Alfond Arena improvements come as the men’s hockey team looks to build on its best season in more than a decade and its first NCAA tournament appearance in a dozen years, and while the women’s team looks to become more competitive in Hockey East. Last season, fans were treated to improvements in the arena that included a new scoreboard over center ice, LED boards, and new lighting and sound system.
“The timing has been wonderful. We couldn’t have picked a better time in that regard. We don’t have to have the No.
1 ranked facility in the country, but looking at our storied program that’s meaningful in today’s environment is a really important piece to that,” Killy said. “So we’re lucky to have the opportunity to do that. We’re moving forward at a high level competitively, but also at a high level with our facilities.
” Killy asked for patience from fans and anyone visiting campus while the work on Alfond Arena is ongoing. “We’re not looking at the next three months or six months, we’re looking at the next 50 years. That’s part of what comes with it.
There’ll be minor inconveniences with those kinds of things, but I think in the end, we’re all going to be really happy with where we are,” he said. “This is just an additional reason to come to the University of Maine and be a student-athlete. And from a fan perspective, or if you’re from out of state, another reason to swing by and check out our university.
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