STORRS, Conn. (Feb. 1) – The University of Connecticut and its Division of Athletics formally dedicated the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum on Saturday, Feb. 5, as the UConn men’s ice hockey team played Sacred Heart.

The Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum was opened for the 1998-99 season and is now being dedicated in honor of Freitas, a 1981 UConn graduate and former men’s ice hockey letterwinner.

Freitas graduated from UConn with a degree in business and is a member of the University of Connecticut School of Business Hall of Fame. He is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Frank Crystal and Company, Inc., headquartered in New York City. The company is one of the largest insurance brokerage firms in the country. Freitas has also endowed a scholarship at UConn for students who are pursing a career in business.

"We are thrilled to be dedicating the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum," says UConn Director of Athletics Jeffrey Hathaway. "Mark has shown a great commitment to his alma mater and it is only fitting that we dedicate our ice arena to him. He was a men’s ice hockey student-athlete as an undergraduate and has enjoyed an outstanding career in the insurance industry. Mark’s deep passion for academic and athletic achievement at the University of Connecticut reflects the drive for excellence that has made him so successful."

The dedication ceremony took place between the second and third periods of the UConn vs. Sacred Heart game. UConn students were admitted to the game free with a valid student ID and free t-shirts were distributed to the first 1,000 fans in attendance. There was a contest for UConn students to guess the number of shots on goal that the Huskies take in the first and second periods, featuring two round-trip American Airlines tickets (anywhere in the Continental United States) as a prize.

In addition, there was a special full-color game program and commemorative ticket that was given to all fans in attendance.