By Scott MacKeen
Staff Writer
2/17/11
Brian Sullivan has always been passionate about hockey.
He has spent much of his life playing and coaching the sport, and after hanging up the skates for good is now handling the day-to-day operations at the Ulin Rink on Unquity Road.

Sullivan comes equipped for the position, having spent the past five years in the financial-services industry at State Street Bank, The Hartford Mutual Fund and Edward Jones Investments.

“It really gave me more experience than I ever thought … about managing budgets,” said Sullivan, sitting behind his desk inside the rink. “[But] I love hockey. It’s always been my passion. I’m a rink rat. I just didn’t want to admit it. That’s why I started talking to Curry [College].”

Last fall, after the town granted Curry a three-year lease to operate Ulin Rink, the college advertised for a manager to run the facility. Sullivan was hired in December.

A Marshfield native, he now lives in Franklin with his wife and 2-year-old son, who recently put on skates for the first time.

Sullivan played hockey at Thayer Academy, Boston College High School, the University of Massachusetts Boston and Northeastern University, and minor league professional hockey with the Lowell Lock Monsters, Springfield Falcons, Florida Everblades and Trenton Titans.

“I was under a professional contract with the Carolina Hurricanes for two years. I was basically their property,” Sullivan explained.

Sullivan has professional hockey and rink-operations experience, including roles as a game-day assistant for the Boston Bruins’ coaching staff, the director of operations for the Springfield Junior Pics Youth Hockey Association and the director of summer programming and curriculum director for the Bay State Breakers Youth Hockey Association.

When the opportunity arose to return to the sport he loves full-time, he jumped at the chance. Sullivan said he’s received “nothing but compliments” since taking the job.

“I love coming to work every day. I’m here pretty much from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. [during the week] and I check in on the weekends,” he said.

He explained many of the improvements that have already been made to the rink, including extensive scrubbing and power washing of the walls.

“You can imagine how dark and gloomy it was,” said Sullivan. “We’ve really brightened up the place.”

Additionally, many of the floors inside the facility were torn out and redone; walls were repainted with both Curry and Milton High School colors; old lighting fixtures were replaced with energy-efficient bulbs; the Zamboni was fitted with new parts; and the ice depth was reduced from 4.5 inches to 1.5.

As Sullivan explained, it is much easier and cost-efficient to maintain a 1.5-inch sheet of ice.

“The quality of the ice is much better,” he said. “A lot of the machines themselves are great; they just need to be modernized. We want to make this more than just another rink.”

The management is also putting out bids for replacement of the rink’s ceiling, which Sullivan said is old and lets out heat. Later, exterior landscaping work will be done, he said.

With recent local news accounts of structures collapsing under the weight of heavy snow, Sullivan said he made sure the white stuff was cleared off Ulin’s flat roof.

“It was extensive work,” he said.

Sullivan said the free public skating at the rink has been a hit, and has increased by about 40 percent this season.

“It gets packed. There’s 100 people on the ice Saturdays and Sundays,” he said.

The rink is open Saturdays from 2 to 3:45 p.m., through April 2, except Feb. 19 and March 12. It is open Sundays during the same hours through April 3, except March 13. It is open Wednesdays from noon to 1:45 p.m. through March 30 and Fridays from 6 to 7:45 p.m. through March 4. The schedule might be extended until March 17.