Clarence "Taffy" Abel Arena is a 4,000-seat hockey arena in

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is a city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Chippewa County, Michigan, Chippewa County and is the only city within the county. With a population of ...

on the campus of

Lake Superior State University Lake Superior State University (colloquially Lake State, Soo Tech, and LSSU) is a public college in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States. It enrolls approximately 1,600 students. Due to its proximity to the Canada–United States border, ...

. It is home to the

Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey The Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Lake Superior State University. The Lakers are a member of the Central Collegiate H ...

team of the

Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) is a college athletic conference in the Midwestern United States that participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The current CCHA began play in the 2021–22 season; a previ ...

. The arena is part of the Norris Center student athletic complex, which was built in 1976 and includes the 2,500-seat Cooper Gymnasium and other sports facilities for the school. The arena itself dates back to 1976; it was renovated and remodeled to its current larger form in the summer of 1995 following the Lakers' run of three national championships and eight straight NCAA tournament appearances, which continued into the first year of the arena. It was named after American ice hockey player Clarence "Taffy" Abel, who was born in Sault Ste. Marie. It was the only on-campus hockey arena in the United States which has a seating capacity greater than the enrollment of the school for which it is used, until the completion of

Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory, the college offers over 40 majors a ...

's Ed Robson Arena in 2021. Both Abel Arena and Cooper Gym are available for other events, including high school basketball and hockey.

External links

Official page
College ice hockey venues in Michigan Ontario Hockey League arenas Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey Sports venues completed in 1976 1976 establishments in Michigan Indoor arenas in Michigan {{Michigan-sports-venue-stub