Lawson Arena

Lawson Ice Arena
Construction
Full name	Harry W. Lawson Ice Arena and Gabel Natatorium
Location	2009 Howard Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49006
Coordinates	42°16′33″N 85°37′04″W / 42.275937°N 85.617765°W / 42.275937; -85.617765Coordinates: 42°16′33″N 85°37′04″W / 42.275937°N 85.617765°W / 42.275937; -85.617765
Public transit	WMU Bronco Transit Bus Service
Owner	Western Michigan University
Operator	Western Michigan University
Capacity	3,667
Record attendance	5,168^[1]
Field size	200' x 85' (Ice Hockey)
Surface	Ice
Opened	November 15, 1974 (1974-11-15)
Renovated	1993, 1997, 1998, 2006, 2013^[1]
Tenants
WMU Ice Hockey (1974–present) WMU Men's Basketball (1992–1994) WMU Women's Basketball (1992–1994) WMU Synchronized Skating (1999–2004)
Website
www.wmich.edu/lawson

Harry W. Lawson Ice Arena and Gabel Natatorium is a 3,667-seat multi-purpose arena, and adjacent natatorium in Kalamazoo, Michigan, located on the far Southwest corner of Western Michigan University's main campus. The arena is a single-level, horseshoe-style arena with a concourse at the top. It is home to the Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey team, and the synchronized skating club team. The arena is named after Harry W. Lawson, the founder of the hockey program at Western Michigan University. The Gabel Natatorium contains an olympic size swimming pool, and is home to the WMU Swimming and Diving Club team.

From 1992 to 1994, while University Arena was being renovated, the basketball teams also called Lawson home.^[1]

History

With men's ice hockey slated to become a varsity sport at Western in 1973, the university needed to provide a suitable arena for the team. Prior to the arena and varsity status, the team would play their club games at an outdoor ice rink in Kalamazoo near the Crosstown Parkway.^[2] On November 15, 1974, Lawson Ice Arena opened its doors for the first time as the Broncos faced off against the Thunderbirds of Algoma University. The arena was named after Harry W. Lawson, a professor at Western Michigan who organized and founded the club hockey team in 1956, which eventually became the school's varsity team.

With the men's hockey team flourishing in the 1980s and early 1990s, the university began with a series of renovations. The first was a $1 million series of upgrades during summer 1993, when a new floor, boards and glass, and cooling system were installed in the arena. This was followed by a $250,000 renovation in 1997, when chairback seating was added on the south side of the arena, club-style seating on the southwest corner of the arena above the ice resurfacer tunnel, and vinyl bleachers were installed. In 1998, the arena received a new $1 million metal roof, to replace the old, wooden roof. The next upgrade in 2006 was priced at $2.2 million, when both locker rooms were renovated, athletic training rooms were upgraded, and coach's quarters were added along with a film/meeting room.^[1] With the resurgence of the program around 2010, the newest upgrade was in 2013 with a new scoreboard at center ice along with three video boards placed around the arena. The upgrades were financed by an anonymous donor, who gave the university $1 million for video board upgrades in Lawson and University Arenas.^[3]

In summer 2014, a city water main break flooded the basement with 6–8 feet of water, shutting down the arena for a couple weeks while repairs were made. Light damage was reported to the natatorium filtration system, along with the ice cooling system. Safety systems prevented further damage from occurring.^[4]

The arena's record attendance was set on Halloween (October 31), 1987, when a standing-room crowd of 5,168 watched the Broncos take on then CCHA rival, Michigan State.

New arena

In 2013, with rumors of a new ice arena swirling, Western Michigan athletic director Kathy Beauregard stated that Lawson will be the home of the Bronco's hockey team for the foreseeable future.^[5] She did not deny that renderings and feasibility studies were conducted, due to Lawson's age, and lack of fan amenities. Possible locations of a new arena could include downtown Kalamazoo (would be a multi-purpose facility), directly south of the current arena, or to the southeast corner of Stadium and Howard streets.^[5] But there is currently no plan to build a new arena. Lawson Ice Arena is currently the oldest arena in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, and the second smallest in capacity next to the Goggin Ice Center (3,200) in Oxford, Ohio.

Tenants

Men's ice hockey

Main article: Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey

The men's hockey team has called Lawson home since its opening in 1974, and most of the facility upgrades have revolved around the hockey team. Almost all of the team's athletic and team training facilities are located within the arena. The arena is noted as one of the toughest to play within the NCHC, mainly due to the old-style design, and the Lawson Lunatics.^[6]

Lawson Lunatics

The official student section for the hockey team is known as the Lawson Lunatics. The whole east side of the arena is reserved for the student section, which normally brings 1,400 students to each game. The students were ranked as the #1 student section in college hockey,^[7] and were asked by the university in 2013 to tone down the chants due to numerous complaints.^[8] The students are one of the main reasons that many players in the NCHC consider Lawson the toughest arena to play in.

Men's and women's basketball

Main article: Western Michigan Broncos men's basketball

From 1992 to 1994, the Broncos' men's and women's basketball teams moved to Lawson while the University Arena was reconfigured and renovated.^[1] The teams also played at arenas in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.

Synchronized skating

The WMU synchronized skating team called Lawson home from 1999 to 2004. In 2004, the team's varsity status was revoked due to financial issues. As a result of the loss of varsity status, the team claimed club status, but still calls Lawson home.

Other events

Besides hockey, skating, and basketball, Lawson has hosted other events such as ice shows, professional boxing matches, and concerts.^[1] The arena also hosts travel and high school hockey games, and is used by the university for club and intramural hockey as well.

Gabel Natatorium

Adjacent to the Lawson Ice Arena is the Gabel natatorium, which contains an olympic sized swimming pool, and is home to the WMU club swimming and diving team. The natatorium is also used for open lap swim, swimming classes, and pool rental.^[9]

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 "Lawson Ice Arena and Gabel Natatorium". Western Michigan University. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
↑ "Name Behind the Building: Lawson Ice Arena". Western Herald. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
↑ "Renovations to WMU's University Arena delayed, Lawson Arena upgrades on track, AD says". MLive.com. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
↑ "Repairs underway at WMU's Lawson Ice Arena and pool after water line break floods basement". MLive.com. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
1 2 "Western Michigan AD Kathy Beauregard says there are no plans in motion to build a new hockey arena". MLive.com. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
↑ "NCHC - Inside the NCHC - S3, Episode 12 (1/13/16)". www.nchc.tv. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
↑ "Western Michigan's 'Lawson Lunatics' student section ranked best in college hockey". MLive.com. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
↑ "Rowdy 'Lawson Lunatics' at hockey games prompt Western Michigan to take action in response to complaints". MLive.com. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
↑ "Aquatics | Lawson Ice Arena and Gabel Natatorium". wmich.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-07.

External links

Official website for Lawson Ice Arena and Gabel Natatorium

Western Michigan University

Academics	Haworth College of Business International Congress on Medieval Studies New Issues Poetry & Prose Paper engineering Stryker School of Medicine Cooley Law School Sunseeker

Athletics	Baseball Basketball Broncos Buster Bronco Central Collegiate Hockey Association Ebert Field Football Hyames Field Ice hockey Kanley Track Lawson Arena Michigan MAC Trophy Mid-American Conference Seelye Athletic Center Soccer University Arena Waldo Stadium WMU Soccer Complex WMU–CMU Rivalry Trophy

Campus	East Campus Kalamazoo Miller Auditorium Oakland Drive Campus

History	William McCracken Bill Spaulding Buck Read Charles Van Riper Dwight B. Waldo Western State Normal Railroad

People	Alumni John Dunn P. J. Fleck Diether Haenicke Steve Hawkins Paul L. Maier Andy Murray Michael Swords

Student life	Western Herald WIDR WMUK

Western Michigan Broncos men's basketball

Venues	East Hall gymnasium (1913–1938) Oakland Gymnasium (1938–1957) Read Fieldhouse (1957–1992) Lawson Arena (1992–1994) University Arena (1994–present)

Rivalries	In-state MAC schools

Culture and lore	Buster Bronco The Zoo

People	Head coaches NBA players

Seasons	1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey

Playing venues	Lawson Arena (1974–present)

Head coaches	Bill Neal (1973–1978) Glen Weller (1978–1982) Bill Wilkinson (1982–1999) Jim Culhane (1999–2010) Jeff Blashill (2010–2011) Andy Murray (2011–present)

Conference affiliations	Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) (1975–2013) National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) (2013–)

All-time leaders	Dan Dorion (293 points) Dan Dorion (115 goals) Bill Horn (71 wins)

NCAA Tournament appearances	1986 1994 1996 2011 2012

Conference Tournament champions	CCHA: 1986 2012

Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan

National Collegiate Hockey Conference

Teams	Colorado College Tigers Denver Pioneers Miami RedHawks Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs North Dakota Fighting Hawks Omaha Mavericks St. Cloud State Huskies Western Michigan Broncos

Venues	Broadmoor World Arena (Colorado College) Magness Arena (Denver) Steve Cady Arena (Miami) AMSOIL Arena (Minnesota–Duluth) Ralph Engelstad Arena (North Dakota) Baxter Arena (Omaha) Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (St. Cloud State) Lawson Arena (Western Michigan)

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