Compton Family Ice Arena, home to the University of Notre Dame men’s hockey team, hosted or co-hosted 26 youth hockey events during the 2018-19 academic year, contributing $12.5 million to the local economy, according to Visit South Bend Mishawaka.
Organized in collaboration with Hockey Time Productions, 200X85 Hockey or USA Hockey, the 26 events drew more than 38,700 visitors to the area, the convention and visitors bureau reported, resulting in more than 22,200 room nights at local hotels.
The 2019 Chipotle-USA Hockey Youth Tier II 14U National Championship, co-hosted by Compton and the Ice Box in April, generated nearly 3,000 room nights alone.
Compton features two sheets of ice and seating for more than 5,000. The facility has hosted hundreds of youth hockey events since opening in 2011, drawing visitors from across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Hockey Time alone will occupy the facility on 12 weekends during the upcoming academic year, according to Michael McNeill, programming and instruction program manager at Compton.
“The 2018-19 season, featuring a USA Hockey National Championship and many other busy and outstanding youth hockey weekends, was a successful year for the Compton Family Ice Arena and the city of South Bend,” McNeill said. “The partnerships with Visit South Bend and our youth hockey tournament providers continue to grow and evolve, and our staff at Compton values those relationships. We are looking forward to a fun and exciting 2019-20 season.”
Rob DeCleene, executive director of Visit South Bend Mishawaka, said, “At Visit South Bend Mishawaka, we’ve always referred to the opening of Compton Family Ice Arena as a game changer for the destination. This season proved that beyond our expectations.”
In addition to hosting men’s, women’s and youth hockey events, Compton offers camps, sled hockey, figure skating, public skating, physical education skating, learn-to-skate and learn-to-curl classes and other instructional programs to kids and adults in the South Bend-Elkhart region.
Annually, local and non-local hosted athletic events at Compton and other campus venues draw more than 35,000 visitors to the area for daylong or overnight stays, according to a recent economic impact study.
For more information, visit und.com/comptonarena.
Contact: Erin Blasko, assistant director of media relations, 574-631-4127, eblasko@nd.edu