Alaska Hockey Receives State-of-the-Art Locker Room Facility

FAIRBANKS – Several years in the making, the Alaska Nanooks hockey program unveiled its newly renovated Carlson Center team locker room. Spearheaded by the efforts of past and present Alaska coaches, local officials, boosters and hockey alumni, the recently completed project opened just in time for the start of the 2013-14 season.

"This is a great day for Nanook Hockey," sixth-year head coach Dallas Ferguson said. "I have a lot of emotions going through my mind finally seeing this locker room completed and realizing how truly amazing it has turned out. This is just another important step forward in the evolution of our program and keeps Alaska Hockey headed in the right direction."

While the actual construction began only last March, the $4.5 million state-funded renovation project took several years to become a reality and saw additional funding provided by The Face-Off Club (booster club) and the Alaska Hockey alumni.

"We're very fortunate to have a strong booster club and hockey alumni organization," Ferguson said. "Both parties worked very hard to raise funds to take this project to an even higher level of excellence."

The entirety of the project includes a state-of-the-art team locker room and changing area, a players' lounge, coaches' changing and meeting rooms, equipment and laundry facilities, training and medical rooms and a media area usable to watch game film. With the new space, it brings a lot of value to the program in terms of functionality -- an aspect Ferguson says is of the utmost importance.

"Our student-athletes immediately feel the professionalism and commitment when they enter the facility," Ferguson said.
Other highlights include several wall murals that feature former players, coaches, which tell the history of the program. There is also an Alaska Hockey Wall of Honor, which features individual accolades by many of the best to ever suit up in a Nanook uniform.

"Alaska Hockey is a very proud program and an alumni presence in the space was a very important part of the finishes," Ferguson said. "It is important that our current and future student-athletes recognize who came before them and who the people are that helped create the opportunity they have to be a Nanook."

The visiting team locker room area is also new, as well as the creation of a new ticketing window and multipurpose rooms that can be used for meetings or hockey user groups.

Initially seen on YouTube and through numerous photos posted on alaskananooks.com several weeks ago, excited Nanook fans and community members were finally treated to a first-hand walk through of the facility at an open house held on Oct 15.

"The timing of our new locker room couldn't be better as we embark on our first season in the WCHA," Ferguson said. "This entire project was done first class and shows the commitment level Fairbanks has for its Division I hockey program."

He added, "There were many people behind the scenes that worked very hard to help make this happen and our hockey program is extremely grateful to those who made this blueprint years ago, a reality today."

The Nanooks have called the 4,595-seat Carlson Center home since 1990, moving there from the on-campus Patty Center Arena, which housed just 1,300 patrons. Though Alaska Hockey is the Carlson Centers' primary tenant, the community-owned facility is also utilized for a variety of other special events and concerts throughout the year.

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