![]() LaBahn Arena in June of 2017 | |
Location in Wisconsin Location in the United States | |
Location | 105 East Campus Mall Madison, Wisconsin 53715 |
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Coordinates | 43°04′10″N89°23′49″W / 43.0694°N 89.39697°W |
Public transit | ![]() |
Owner | University of Wisconsin–Madison |
Operator | University of Wisconsin–Madison |
Capacity | 2,273 |
Surface | 200' x 90' |
Construction | |
Broke ground | May 11, 2011 |
Opened | October 19, 2012 |
Construction cost | $34 million [1] |
Architect | Kahler Slater, Inc. |
Tenants | |
Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey (2012–present) Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey (2020–2021) |
LaBahn Arena is the home ice of the Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey team. It was the second arena to be purpose-built for a women's collegiate hockey team; the first was Minnesota's Ridder Arena. The arena is connected via a tunnel to the Kohl Center, [2] which the women's team shared with the men's team from its inception in 1999 until 2012. The men's team also practices there. The facility also houses locker rooms for the swimming and diving teams. [3]
The arena is named for longtime Badger boosters Chuck and Mary Ann LaBahn, its main fundraisers. [3]
Before 2012, the women's ice hockey team drove from its headquarters at the Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center to the Kohl Center. Whenever the Kohl Center was being readied for a basketball game, the women drove to a rink in nearby Verona for practice. The men often practiced at the Bob Johnson Hockey Facility three miles from campus or the Memorial Sports Center when the Kohl Center was being readied for basketball. Some questioned the safety of the players during these drives, especially during Madison's often snowy and icy winters. [4]
In the 2020-21 season, the men's ice hockey team also played at LaBahn Arena for cost and league reasons. As the Big Ten Conference mandated all conference games be played behind closed doors, and the cost of converting Kohl Center between basketball and hockey during the pandemic without attendance, the team played games at LaBahn, which also serves as the backup venue for men. [5]
The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level, primarily competing in the Big Ten Conference for all sports since the 1896–97 season. The women's ice hockey team competes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), while the men's crew team compete in the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC).
The Kohl Center is a multi-purpose arena located at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, United States. The arena opened in 1998 and is the home of the university's men's basketball and ice hockey teams, and the women's basketball team.
The Wisconsin Field House is a multi-purpose arena owned by the University of Wisconsin–Madison and located directly south of Camp Randall Stadium. In addition to sports events, the Field House has been the site of large community gatherings such as convocations and concerts. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
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Michael Gordon Eaves is an American former National Hockey League (NHL) player and the former head coach of the St. Olaf College men's hockey team and for his alma mater the University of Wisconsin, where he was part of two NCAA National Championship teams with the Badgers. In 2019, he was named the head coach of the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL), a role he held until 2022.
The Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. The team plays at the Kohl Center and is currently coached by Mike Hastings. The Badgers ice hockey team competes in the Big Ten Conference.
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Britta Curl is an American college ice hockey player for Wisconsin and member of the United States women's national ice hockey team.
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