By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Gabie Figueroa has been playing hockey most of her life, and even after graduating from Princeton University she is thrilled that she’s been able to stay connected to the sport.
After studying structural engineering at Princeton, she found a job as a project engineer with Gilbane Building Company, a construction firm that is designing the new Kingsbridge National Ice Center in the Bronx.
“Given that I play hockey, they put me on the project early in the design phase,” Figueroa said of the project that is supposed to be completed in 2018.
The project is using the Kingsbridge Armory space to develop what will be the world’s largest ice complex. It will house nine ice rinks, including a 5,000-seat arena. It will host figure skating, youth hockey, adult hockey, camps and clinics and curling. Figueroa is happy to help build something to promote a sport that she loves.
“I chose to work for Gilbane,” she said. “Then I found out that they had this project. It was just a great coincidence, and I made it known I wanted to be on the project.
“It’ll be a center to get together for hockey,” Figueroa said. “It’s going to attract people both locally and nationally.”
Kingsbridge will answer a demand for more ice time in the area. For those right around New York, it will be accessible by subway.
“It’ll help the need for ice in New York City,” Figueroa said. “It’d be nice for people like me who want to continue playing.”
The project has big-name backing with NHL Hall of Famer Mark Messier and Olympic gold medalist figure skater Sarah Hughes.
“It’s been exciting,” Figueroa said. “I tell my mom to pinch me sometimes. Everything is working out so well. I’m learning the construction side of the building industry before I move into development one day. I’m continuing to be able to play hockey at the professional level in New York. It’s like all these things have been thrown at me. The thing I can attribute it to, as my grandfather says, ‘The harder you work, the luckier you get.’ I work hard and fortunately I’m finding myself to be lucky.”
The only that had been missing in Figueroa’s life was the chance to play competitive hockey, but last week she signed with the New York Riveters of the new National Women’s Hockey League, which will debut in October with four teams.
“I missed playing,” Figueroa said. “The biggest thing is having something to celebrate as a team. I’m part of a team at work, but there’s nothing like being a part of a sports team. I most miss the competition. When you play pick-up hockey, it’s not the same as playing in a game.”
Figueroa finished her senior year at Princeton in 2014 with 13 points on 12 assists and a goal. The defenseman grew up playing for the Bridgewater Bears, Princeton Tiger Lilies, New Jersey Colonials and Connecticut Polar Bears and played at The Lawrenceville School before moving on to Princeton. After graduation, she wasn’t sure she’d have a chance to play again in an organized league.
“I live in Manhattan and there’s not much ice available in Manhattan,” Figueroa said. “It’s hard to find ice time and a team to play on that meets my schedule. My boss is a hockey player, and whenever they need players for late games, I’d go play at 11:30 p.m.”
Figueroa remains connected to Princeton. She keeps up with the hockey team, returns for some football games and events, and remains active in the Cannon eating club on the graduate board. She will be plenty busy with balancing her engineering job with playing professional hockey and she has her real estate license and is a Manhattan real estate agent on the side.
“I’m really happy,” she said.
Figueroa wasn’t sure that she would be able to play for New York. Originally, she thought they were playing out of Long Island, which would have been too long of a commute. They are playing instead at the Aviator Sports and Event Center in Brooklyn. The other three teams play out of Buffalo, Boston and Connecticut.
“I think there are two other local people on the (Riveters),” Figueroa said. “It’s great to be a local person on the team so that youth players in the organizations and leagues I grew up playing in can come to games.”
In both aspects, she has the chance to promote her passion. As an engineer, she can help to open doors to more opportunities for playing, and as a professional player, she can show girls that they can have a playing future in the United States beyond college. Previously, there was a Canadian based professional league with one American team in it, but this has four U.S. based teams. Fellow PU graduate Kelly Cooke will be playing for the Boston Pride.
“Up until now, there weren’t great opportunities after college,” she added. “Now it gives youth girls, it gives girls in high school and girls in college a reason to keep playing. They say that guys peak in their late 20s and early 30s, but most girls only play organized hockey until they’re 22 unless they make it to the Olympics or go abroad. It’s a good way to grow the game.”
Figueroa expects a high level of play. She is used to that as well. She came to Princeton after playing for the United States in the IIHF U-18 World Championship. They won silver, and now some of them will be joining her in the NWHL.
“I know some of my teammates,” Figueroa said. “And I’m excited to play with new people.”
She is excited for the chance to get back on the ice in some meaningful action. It will have been more than a year since she played for Princeton, but her fitness level is good.
“I’ve been staying in shape,” she said. “I ran a half-marathon with my dad and I still work out a lot. I run a lot. My boss and I made a bet for a 5k our company did. We decided to race each other and the loser had to wear an Islanders jersey to a meeting with Mark Messier. I lost, so I had to walk into a meeting wearing an Islanders jersey. It was embarrassing but fortunately Mark handled it well.”
There haven’t been too many other tough times for Figueroa, who made it through the meeting fine. She is thrilled with the way that things are coming together and there is a chance that her two jobs will come even closer together in the future.
“Kingsbridge would love the New York Riveters to play at the Armory,” Figueroa said. “So I’m building something that could eventually become our home rink.”
