Quinnipiac renames hockey arena and men’s locker room

By Julius Saporito

The sports center on York Hill has been going through some name changes over the past few months. This past weekend, Quinnipiac unveiled the new name for the hockey arena and the men’s ice hockey locker room.

The ice hockey arena was renamed after Frank Perrotti Jr., who passed away on December 10, 2016. Perotti is said to have been a loyal and devoted fan to the program, showing a lot of support over the years. Perrotti was a Hamden resident and also served his country in the U.S. Army.

In an article published by the Quinnipiac Chronicle, Donald Weinbach, the president of Development and Alumni Affairs, noted that Perotti was a “huge benefactor to the university.”

High Points Solution was the sponsor and had naming rights over the arena after they agreed to donate $1 million to Quinnipiac for the next five seasons. The contract was not renewed for this year.

The men’s ice hockey suite, also known as the locker room, was renamed after TJ Baudanza, who was important to Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey and the program’s growth.

Baudanza was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2011 and passed away in 2015. Baudanza’s father, Tony Baudanza, requested the program rename the team’s suite in his son’s memory.

The family had a lot of support behind them. Numerous people and some of Baudanza’s close friends came to honor his name and memory during the ceremony and suite reveal.

In an article written by Jamie Deloma, the associate director of social media at Quinnipiac, Baudanza’s father said, “We feel so honored to have his name there.”

Baudanza graduated from Quinnipiac in 2006 with a business degree in entrepreneurial studies. After he graduated, he contributed to the making of what we once knew as the TD Bank Sports Center.

Earlier this year, it was announced that TD Bank would no longer be the sponsor of the TD Bank Sports Center. The partnership between Quinnipiac and TD Bank began in 2007, but ended after the bank chose not to renew its contract.

Weinbach told the Quinnipiac Chronicle that for 14 months Quinnipiac had been “aggressively looking for either TD Bank to renew or for another corporate entity to put their name on the arenas.”

A lot of growth is still in the works for the rest of the sports teams and facilities at Quinnipiac, mainly on the Mount Carmel campus. Weinbach noted that the university is already pursuing some companies and individuals to put their names on the field hockey and soccer/lacrosse venues.

In March, the school signed an official partnership with Adidas. With newly updated facilities and Adidas supplying the school’s athletic program’s gear, there is an expectation that the teams will now be taken seriously by big-time schools. It’s all about growth and exposure for Quinnipiac.