A History of Middlebury Hockey

In the hockey program’s long standing history, the Panthers have skated on four different ice rinks.  In the early years of the program, the men’s hockey team skated on a rink adjacent to Voter Hall.  The rink would have sat where Munroe Hall is today.  The rink itself was quite simple in design, consisting only of wooden boards. The team played here until the early 1930’s when the location of the rink shifted to the front of McCullough.

1920’s Rink adjacent to Voter Hall

The rink in front of McCullough was slightly more advanced with the addition of lights.  The lights hung over the rink, connected to telephone poles on either side.  During the era of the outdoor hockey rinks, the team was at the mercy of the weather.  The hockey team battled the elements until 1949, when Nelson Arena was constructed.

1930-1949 Rink outside McCullough

The structure of Nelson Arena was originally an air force hanger in Rome, NY.  The hanger was shipped to Middlebury in pieces and then reassembled on campus.  Nelson Arena was renovated in 1983.  The ice surface was enlarged and the arena now hosted up to 1,800 spectators.  After 50 years of hockey in Nelson Arena, The Chip Kenyon Arena was built in 1999.

1949-1999 Nelson Arena

This state of the art arena holds 2,600 spectators, and has one of the largest ice surfaces in division III hockey.  This current facility is premiere in Division 3 and rivals several Division 1 rinks.

1999-Current Chip Kenyon Arena

 

History Highlights

Hockey is Born

Setting the Standard: 1960-’61