The St. Thomas women’s hockey team knew Friday was going to be a big-picture day as it prepared to host the Providence Friars in the inaugural event at Anderson Arena, St. Thomas’ new on-campus home for hockey and basketball.
Then the details took a little shine off a special day. In a game that will be hard to top in terms of the number of twists and turns, the 13th-ranked Tommies rallied from a 5-2 deficit only to lose 7-6 before an announced crowd of 1,456.
“There are so many emotions, excitement and gratitude that goes into opening a building like this,” Tommies head coach Bethany Brausen said. “Of course, you want to be on the winning side of that, and we talked about that after the game. It’s not the result we wanted, but I think it’s the information we needed about where our team is. To see them climb back in the third period gives me a lot of promise about the direction of our program this year.”
The Tommies scored four straight goals in the third period to take a 6-5 lead. The Friars pulled their goaltender in the final minute and got the equalizer with 32 seconds to play. Providence’s Reichen Kirchmair then scored midway through the 5-minute overtime — her fourth goal of the game — to drop the Tommies to 6-3-0.
“We expected a crazy game today,” Brausen said. “We’re moving into this brand new facility, energy is high, emotions are high. So, I was trying to play out what every scenario could look like. I didn’t play this one out.”
Brausen remained upbeat despite the loss. “As we entered into the third period, I challenged our team to be a different program than we’ve ever been in the past,” she said. “And that was a tall order under those circumstances. I am very encouraged by the response that they had.
“Over the years we’ve had good hockey teams. This is a different group now; they truly believe they’re never out of a game. When you start to get that in your locker room and on your bench, that’s when championship culture starts to develop.”
The opening of the arena coincides with Tommies teams being eligible for the NCAA postseason for the first time, signaling a start of a new era in Tommies athletics.
Athletics director Phil Esten was all smiles prior to the game, proud of what the athletic department has accomplished and eager to see what tomorrow will bring.
“One of the greatest rewards for me was moving our student athletes in over the last two or three weeks,” Esten said. “The looks on their faces, the sheer joy that they had in their eyes… It’s been a long journey for them, too. They came to St. Thomas at a time we weren’t eligible for postseason and they took a chance on it, which I greatly appreciate. So the greatest reward has been that.
“Secondly, I would say that, as beautiful as this facility is, it’s more than just bricks and mortar. It’s about the memories we’re going to make here. We’re in the business of building people in personal and professional development, and how we can grow affinity for St. Thomas and make sure people have memories that last lifetimes.”
The arena, which seats 4,000 for hockey and 5,300 for basketball, became a reality in large part due to a $75 million donation by Lee and Penny Anderson. A fundraising campaign eventually raised over $131 million for the project.
The university’s decision to build on campus was met by stiff opposition from some nervy residents who were — and remain — concerned about traffic and a shortage of parking. School officials are hopeful the two sides can more than simply co-exist.
“We’re neighbors, and it is important that we find mutually beneficial solutions,” Esten said. “I think we work together to mitigate what I think are going to be some traffic and parking concerns and challenges. Any time you go to a large event there is some traffic. We’ve been hosting football games on campus for 10 years. Last week, we had 4,200 people at O’Shaughnessy Stadium. Three weeks ago, we had 5,500 people there and parking and traffic were handled just fine.”
The building features a second ice surface, which Esten said will do more than serve as a practice site for the Tommies.
“We’re able to provide the St. Paul Capitals and other youth organizations the opportunity to play in their community,” Esten said. “So, I think this is an asset both for college hockey and for our community. We’re going to welcome high school hockey. We’ll welcome youth hockey. We’ll welcome public skating. We’ll welcome anybody who wants to use that auxiliary ice sheet because we do think it is important to engage with the community in that way.”
Originally Published: October 24, 2025 at 6:04 PM CDT.
https://www.twincities.com/2025/10/24/st-thomas-opens-new-on-campus-arena-for-hockey-and-basketball/
