Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 10/07/2026 04:21:00

Opened on November 15, 1974 with a game against Algoma University, Harry W. Lawson Ice Arena has been the home of Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey since the program's first varsity season. The 3,667-seat arena sits on the far southwest corner of WMU's main campus in Kalamazoo, Michigan, at 2009 Howard Street, adjacent to the Gabel Natatorium and its Olympic-size swimming pool and diving facility. The arena is named after Harry W. Lawson, a WMU professor who founded the school's club hockey team in 1956. Before the arena was built, the club played on an outdoor rink near the Crosstown Parkway. The move to a dedicated indoor facility coincided with hockey's elevation to varsity status in 1973 and gave the Broncos a legitimate home in which to build a competitive program within the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and later the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The single-level, horseshoe-style layout features a concourse that opens high above ice level, giving spectators excellent viewing from all angles. The ice surface measures the standard 200 by 85 feet, and a four-sided center-ice scoreboard plus three separate LED screens provide in-game information. The record attendance of 5,168 was set on October 31, 1987, when a packed beyond-capacity crowd watched the Broncos take on CCHA rival Michigan State. Beyond hockey, Lawson has hosted professional boxing, ice shows, and even WMU basketball games during the 1992-94 renovation of University Arena. The venue also served as home ice for the university's synchronized skating club team for five seasons. The arena is served by WMU's Bronco Transit bus system and is accessible from Stadium Drive via Howard Street. Looking ahead, Lawson's role as the Broncos' primary hockey home is expected to be succeeded by the new Kalamazoo Event Center downtown, a 6,500-seat arena slated to open in fall 2027.