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The University of Wisconsin is adding a smaller arena to its oncampus facilities: La Bahm Arena, a practice facility that will also serve as the home to the nationally ranked UW women’s hockey team, received state approval and should be open in the fall of 2012.
The new arena will seat 2,400 and be physically attached to Kohl Center.
La Bahn Arena will be named after Charles (UW-Madison ’49) and Mary Ann La Bahn, the lead donors for the project.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring, with the facility set to open in the fall of 2012.
La Bahn Arena will be a tri-level complex that will include the following:
- 90′ by 200′ ice sheet for men’s and women’s hockey practice and women’s competition, with seating for approximately 2,400 spectators
- Men’s and women’s hockey team locker rooms and a visiting team locker room
- Women’s hockey office suite and associated support spaces
- Locker and team room functions for the men’s and women’s swimming programs
- A connecting skywalk to the Southeast Recreation Facility (SERF)
- Minor renovation within SERF to accommodate circulation between the pool and the swimming teams’ new locker suites
- Underground connection to the Kohl Center
- Relocation of the men’s basketball locker suite to space vacated by the men’s hockey locker suite, expansion of training room facilities, and expansion of laundry/equipment-issue facilities to accommodate the additional occupants of the complex
Key in the creation of the facility will be bringing the Badger hockey and swimming teams to a centralized campus location for practice, competition and student services such as academics and sports medicine.
Currently the Wisconsin women’s hockey program plays its home games at the Kohl Center, but the team’s practice facility and locker rooms are at the Shell next to Camp Randall Stadium.
The men’s hockey team currently practices at the Bob Johnson Hockey Facility adjacent to the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, but has its locker room at the Kohl Center where it plays its home games.
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