This winter, the BSM boys’ hockey locker room will be getting some much-needed upgrades. After fifteen long years of being crammed into a small space that resembled more of a janitor’s closet rather than a locker room, the boys will be getting a brand new locker room. This new locker room will be in a different part of the REC center which will be much more fitting for BSM’s rich, championship hockey program.

Appropriately nicknamed the “USS Alabama,” the old locker room was long, narrow, cramped, and leaky––similar to a submarine. As a result of this, half of the players in the BSM hockey program had no space to store their equipment. Not to mention, there wasn’t enough space for both the varsity team and the JV team to change at the same time.

After plenty of consideration, the decision to make the change came last fall when BSM decided to give the highly anticipated project the green light last fall. BSM decided to team up with JLGice Architects and Zeman Construction to take on the large project. Construction on the new room is nearly complete, and it is expected to be done in time for the upcoming season.

Funded by donations from former players and parents, the new locker room will contain individual lockers for 40 players as well as immediate access to private toilets and showers. It will also have plenty of storage and hangout space as well as lockers for the coaches. To top it all off, the walls will be decorated with televisions and plenty of pictures from Red Knight Hockey history. “The whole program is excited. It’s a space that will be a huge asset for our program. We will double our space, so what’s not to be excited about,” head coach Ken Pauly said.

Many of the players also share Pauly’s excitement about the new room. “It will be a great place for players to hang out before and after the game,” junior captain Nate Schweitzer said.

In addition to the hangout space, The locker room will also be a “nice space where the varsity and JV teams can be together to build team chemistry,” junior Charles Warnert said.

Although everyone is looking forward to the upgraded locker room, some coaches and players are having a hard time saying goodbye to the old one. “There really is something sacred about a locker room space. Teams bond in a million ways. A lot of memories are forged in little ways––It’s bittersweet” Pauly said.

Almost all the players shared the coaches’ sentiment about the old locker room. “Everyone is going to miss the USS Alabama. There is a lot of history and tradition ingrained in that locker room,” Schweitzer said.

The players also recalled some specific moments from the old locker room that was really memorable.  “My favorite memory was when Coach Pauly gave the best motivational speech I’ve ever heard before my first home game,” Warnert said.

The speeches before the game were definitely very unforgettable, but the environment in the old locker room after a win was one of its greatest traits. “My favorite memories were after wins when everyone would celebrate with each other––the atmosphere in there was incredible,” Schweitzer said.

Pauly recalls one memory in particular when former NHL player Jeremy Roenick skated with the team and said, “Coach, this looks a lot bigger on TV!” To perfectly sum it all up, “The space was inferior––but a lot of superior memories,” Pauly said.