Albright College is expanding its athletic programs practice and competition venues through a partnership with Body Zone Sports and Wellness Complex. Body Zone will serve as the official venue for the new men’s ice hockey team, set to begin this fall, and offers consistent access to high-quality ice in a modern setting. For student-athletes, this partnership means the opportunity to train and compete in an environment built specifically for hockey development, giving the Lions a competitive advantage.
This is a significant relationship as the Wyomissing facility offers NHL-sized ice rinks – narrower than Olympic skating rinks to promote speed and dynamic competition – which are ideal for Albright’s NCAA Division III team competition in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC). Located only six miles from the Albright campus, Body Zone’s rinks feature generous space for spectators, several locker rooms, and scoreboards to track games.
Albright has assembled an experienced coaching staff committed to player development, team culture, and academic accountability. As a new program, Albright Hockey offers student-athletes the opportunity to contribute immediately while helping establish the identity and expectations.
“We are excited for Body Zone to be our home ice,” said Albright Athletic Director Rick Ferry. “This is a first-rate facility and helps to set our inaugural ice hockey program up for success. Access to a facility like Body Zone allows us to recruit at a high level and provide an outstanding experience from day one. Combined with strong coaching and Albright’s academic foundation, this sets our ice hockey programs up for long-term success.”
Men’s ice hockey will bring Lions athletics to 27 teams, joining other recently added athletics programs such as women’s STUNT, women’s flag football, and men’s and women’s wrestling.
“We are incredibly proud and excited to call Body Zone the home of Albright Men’s Hockey,” said head coach Jeff German. “It will be a great home for our program and an outstanding facility for our students, student-athletes, and fans. This partnership is about more than just where we play. It is an opportunity to help grow the game of hockey throughout Reading and the surrounding community.”
Albright student-athletes consistently perform exceptionally well in the classroom as well as in their sport. In the 2024-25 academic year, more than 200 Lions were named to the national All-MAC Academic Honors teams, which requires a 3.2 or higher GPA, including 36 Albright student-athletes earned a GPA of 4.0. The College’s flexible, interdisciplinary curriculum allows students to pursue rigorous academics while competing at a high level, preparing graduates for life well beyond athletics.
