St. Thomas Ice Arena is a 1,000-seat ice hockey arena in

Mendota Heights, Minnesota Mendota Heights is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. It is a first ring southern suburb of the Twin Cities. The population was 11,744 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a tot ...

. Opened in 2003, it is home to the

University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

Tommies ice hockey programs in addition to the

Saint Thomas Academy Saint Thomas Academy (abbr. STA), originally known as St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary and formerly known as St. Thomas Military Academy, is the only all-male, Catholic, college-preparatory, military high school in Minnesota. It is located in Mendota H ...

boys hockey team.

History

St. Thomas had previously used the State Fair Coliseum for their ice hockey program. After nearly 40 years at the venue, and with the women's program beginning in 2001, the university decided to build their own rink. Due to the school being located in

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

they could not build the rink on campus and instead constructed the arena in the nearby

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

of Mendota Heights. In 2019, the arena served as the site for the National Championship in

NCAA Division III women's ice hockey NCAA Division III women's ice hockey is a college ice hockey competition governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as part of the NCAA Division III (DIII or D3). Sixty-seven teams competed in NCAA Division III women’s hockey ...

. In 2023, the University of St. Thomas announced plans for Lee and Penny Anderson Arena, an on-campus hockey arena in

. Its teams would continue to play at St. Thomas Ice Arena through the 2024-2025 season.

References

External links

Official Home Page
College ice hockey venues in the United States Sports venues completed in 2003 2003 establishments in Minnesota Ice hockey venues in Minneapolis–Saint Paul {{Minnesota-sports-venue-stub