Lee and Penny Anderson Arena - St. Thomas Tommies
- Lloyd Brown
- 7 hours ago
- 6 min read
Photos by Lloyd Brown, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.86
Lee and Penny Anderson Arena 2260 Summit Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105
Year Opened: 2025 Capacity: 4,000
The Tommie Finally Have Home Ice!
The University of St. Thomas is a Catholic liberal arts college located in St. Paul, MN. It was founded in 1885 and has a student body of 11,000.
The University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, has one of the oldest collegiate ice hockey programs in the country, as it first fielded a team during the 1920-21 season. The program started at the Division III level, where it was a powerhouse, as the Tommies won 34 conference titles, made 17 NCAA Tournament appearances, and were National runners-up on two occasions.
The program originally played in outdoor rinks at multiple sites, with team members pitching in to shovel snow, patching the ice, and assembling the rink walls themselves. Often, the ice would begin to melt or chip away before the games ended, forcing an early termination of the contest. This situation continued until the 1960s, when the team began a nomadic journey to various off-campus indoor rinks in the Twin Cities area.
These rinks included the Cow Palace in South St. Paul (1962-63), Aldrich Arena (1963-1970), the St Paul Academy (1970-1976), the State Fair Coliseum in St. Paul (1976-2003) and the St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights (2003-2025), which is a high school academy linked with the University of St. Thomas.
The team transitioned to the Division I level of competition in 2020, and this facility had a capacity of only 1,000 seats, making it the third smallest rink based on capacity in Division I hockey. The Tommies' schedule was often difficult to maintain, as they had to work around the ice time available at each of the six sites.
Nearly a century after the St. Thomas Tommies hockey program started, they finally have an on-campus arena home ice facility of their very own. The Lee and Penny Anderson Arena opened in time for the 2025-2026 hockey season. The $175 million facility will host men’s and women’s hockey and men’s and women’s basketball. It will also be home to concerts, career fairs, and commencement ceremonies, as well as other community events.
In addition to the main rink and seating area, the Anderson Arena also houses practice facilities and locker rooms, sports medicine suites, training rooms, team meeting areas, a ticket office, a team store, and several concession areas. It has a capacity of 4,000 in its ice hockey configuration, 5,300 in its basketball configuration, and 6,000 in its concert configuration.
Food & Beverage 4
There are five concession stands at the concourse level of the lower seating bowl. These are behind the 103,110,112,116, and 123 seating sections. They include two Grab and Go stands, a pizza stand, a cheesesteak stand, and a stand featuring grilled items.
A sampling of prices at these stands includes hot dogs ($7), brats ($10), nachos ($9), popcorn ($6), ice cream ($6), and candy ($5). The pizza selections include pepperoni, cheese, and BBQ, which are all priced at $16. Cheesesteaks are all priced at $16 as well. The Grill stand offers a burger basket with fries, as well as chicken tenders with fries for $17.
Beverages sold at all stands include Pepsi brand sodas ($5), Gatorade ($6), and bottled water ($5).
The premium seating areas have their own food service areas, including the Legacy Club and Reuben’s. Food in the premium areas ranges from buffets to snacks, desserts, and both sodas and alcoholic beverages are available. Alcohol is available for purchase by fans who are 21 years or older. There is a two-drink limit per order.
Atmosphere 5
The new arena offers premium seats on the upper level of the seating bowl. These seats include the Legacy Club, the Capital Club, and Reubens. There are 12 loge boxes on the second level. Four additional private suites are available at the ice level along the glass at the base of the lower seats.
The lower seating bowl encircles the ice. The seating bowl features a silver, white, and purple color palette…. The team colors for St. Thomas. The facility offers an impressive electronics package, with a center-hung scoreboard/videoboard and ribbon boards lining the facing of the second level of seating. The energy level is decidedly higher than the Tommies have experienced at their off-campus venues of the past.
Neighborhood 5
The University of St. Thomas campus lies in a residential neighborhood that lies just east of the Mississippi River. Its well-manicured campus does not overwhelm the homes that surround it. Lee and Penny Anderson Arena mirrors the existing Collegiate Gothic architectural style of the buildings that surround it on the University of St Thomas campus. Its exterior is constructed of Kasota limestone, and it features some bas-relief carvings of both hockey and basketball images on the exterior.
The University of St. Thomas campus is located at the corner of Cretin, Summit, and Grand Avenues. Both Summit and Grand Avenues are main thoroughfares in St. Paul. The streets are lined with an impressive number of Victorian homes.
There are several restaurants located just a few blocks east of the St. Thomas campus. These include Davanni’s Pizza, Groveland Tap, Carmello’s Spaghetti Room, and the French Meadow Bakery and Café. The nearby Tiffany Sports Lounge is the official sports bar for St. Thomas Athletics.
Nearby lodging includes the Quality Inn St. Paul/Minneapolis/Midway, the Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown St. Paul, and the Radisson Hotel St Paul Downtown.
Fans 4
The alumni and students are thrilled to have the games now on campus and have filled the arena for both basketball and hockey contests. The student section is behind the goal at one end of the rink, and they do everything they can to distract the visiting team’s communications. The school pep band is seated in this section as well, keeping the energy level high throughout the game. There are no cheerleaders at the hockey contests, but the Tommie Cat mascot does make an appearance for the pregame and between-period activities.
The upper-level premium seating area seems to be the domain of the school alumni and the families of the players. Fans can purchase team spirit gear at the Tommie’s Locker Room Store behind section 103. While it offers a wide range of Tommie gear, it gets quite congested between periods, so plan to visit before the first puck drop.
Access 4
Parking is available at the on-campus Anderson Parking Facility, as well as the McNeely and Frey parking facilities. To ease the limited parking on campus, a ticket purchase for hockey games comes with a free Metro Transit pass. This also goes towards reducing the carbon footprint of the facility.
Fans enter the facility through the Iverson Atrium, which features murals of both Minneapolis and St. Paul, with the University of St. Thomas shield between them. Doors at the facility open one hour before the puck drop. Premium seat holders have a separate entrance and can enter the building 60 minutes before the game. There are elevators available for fans who have difficulty negotiating stairs.
The concourses at both the main seating level and the premium seating level are wide and allow for a good flow of fans, even during the busy times between periods. Restrooms are also plentiful around the concourses.
Return on Investment 3
Parking at one of the campus parking facilities can be pre-purchased for $13 on game days/nights. Fans also get a free Metro Transit bus pass to access the campus via mass transit if they choose. This is offered as a part of the agreement between the school and the residential neighborhood that surrounds the campus to reduce traffic congestion on game nights.
Tickets run from $82 for premium level seating to $52 for along the glass seats and $36 for seats at the ends behind the nets. The University of St. Thomas partners with SeatGeek as its ticketing partner.
While Anderson Arena offers a wide variety of food and beverages at its concession stands, the prices are much higher than if purchased at a convenience store or a fast-food restaurant.
The Lee and Penny Anderson Arena operates as a cashless venue.
Extras 4
The arena is named for Lee and Penny Anderson, the main benefactors of the facility, who contributed $75 million towards the total $175 million cost of the building.
The building has applied for LEED Silver Certification due to its numerous energy-saving features.
The Tommies are members of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. (CCHA)
There is a timeline display along the main concourse that features the many off-campus sites that have hosted the St. Thomas hockey program.
Final Thoughts
The opening of the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena is a major component of the University of St. Thomas’ Athletic Department’s move to the Division I level of NCAA sports. The arena serves as the home of the hockey and basketball programs for both the men’s and women’s teams.
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