Quinnipiac Athletics officially unveiled two state-of-the-art lounges for the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams this past weekend, marking the completion of the first stage in a total renovation of the locker room facilities.
Both lounges feature dedicated spaces for relaxation, work and film study, motion-activated sliding doors and fully-stocked kitchens. The rooms are centered around a colossal LED Bobcat logo inlaid into the ceiling, while the current ECAC Hockey standings are permanently displayed on vertical screens.
“It’s beautiful,” head coach Rand Pecknold said. “In the world of recruiting right now, you’ve got to keep pace with the big boys. We did a really good job with it, it’s going to help us a lot in recruiting.”
The project was funded by former Quinnipiac player Jeff Kinkead and his wife Mimi through the largest donation the athletic department has ever received. Kinkead suited up for the then-Division II Quinnipiac Braves in the early 1980’s.
Publicly available building permits indicate that the total cost of the locker room renovations is expected to exceed $1.5 million.
Kinkead is the president and CEO of Advanced Systems Resources Inc., an information technology company based in Miami. He previously donated $1 million to the University of Miami, where he graduated with an MBA in 1985, for scholarships and career development for student-athletes.
