Appleton Arena

Appleton Arena is a 3,200-seat multi-purpose arena in Canton, New York. It is home to the St. Lawrence University Skating Saints ice hockey team. It was named for Judge Charles W. Appleton, class of 1897, the main benefactor of the arena as well as the riding center, which is named for his wife Elsa. Appleton Arena opened in January 1951. The Canton Community assisted with the construction of an adjacent outdoor rink previous to 1951. Appleton Arena was remodeled in the late 1970s and early 1980s to its current configuration. In 1999, the facade of the arena was renovated to allow for improved locker rooms (particularly for the growing women's program) and a larger lobby. Additionally, the playing surface was expanded to 85 feet by 200 feet, and a weight training facility was added. Aside from being home to the Skating Saints, the arena also hosts intramural hockey and broomball games, a figure skating club, and Canton Pee Wee Hockey. In addition to its athletic uses, the University has also utilized the arena for concerts and for an alternate, indoor location for graduation ceremonies.

Appleton Arena
Construction

Interactive map of Appleton Arena
Location	23 Romoda Drive Canton, New York
Owner	St. Lawrence University
Operator	St. Lawrence University
Capacity	3,200 (hockey)
Surface	200x85 ft (hockey)
Opened	January 6, 1951 (1951-01-06)
Renovated	2019–2020
Tenants
St. Lawrence University Saints (men's and women's hockey)

Appleton Arena is a 3,200-seat multi-purpose arena in Canton, New York.^[1] It is home to the St. Lawrence University Skating Saints ice hockey team. It was named for Judge Charles W. Appleton, class of 1897, the main benefactor of the arena as well as the riding center, which is named for his wife Elsa.

Appleton Arena opened in January 1951. The Canton Community assisted with the construction of an adjacent outdoor rink previous to 1951. Appleton Arena was remodeled in the late 1970s and early 1980s to its current configuration. In 1999, the facade of the arena was renovated to allow for improved locker rooms (particularly for the growing women's program) and a larger lobby. Additionally, the playing surface was expanded to 85 feet by 200 feet, and a weight training facility was added.

Aside from being home to the Skating Saints, the arena also hosts intramural hockey and broomball games, a figure skating club, and Canton Pee Wee Hockey.^[2] In addition to its athletic uses, the University has also utilized the arena for concerts and for an alternate, indoor location for graduation ceremonies.

2020 Renovation

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On June 28, 2018, St. Lawrence University announced that Appleton would undergo a significant renovation and upgrade. The project would bring a new entrance and lobby, new locker rooms, expanded concourses, and technology upgrades, while the traditional wooden bleachers and roof would stay the same. Along with the project is a new fitness facility built during the project. Construction on the project began in March 2019, with the demolition of the former entrance. Due to starting late and slow process, the hockey teams announced they would play their home games at the nearby Roos House on the campus of SUNY Canton until November 2019. However, more delays forced the teams to play at the Roos House until January 2020, until Appleton was finally ready. The first game at the newly renovated Appleton Arena took place on January 18, 2020, when the St. Lawrence women's hockey team defeated cross-town rival Clarkson, 1-0. After the project was completed, the new lobby spaces featured a new box office, team store, and a widened lobby. New technology advancements featured a new streaming room, videoboards, and new LED lighting. A new VIP section was added on one of the ends giving a view straight down the ice up high.

Trivia

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While Appleton Arena is generally thought of as an ice hockey rink, the first sporting event played there was a men's basketball game on January 6, 1951. St. Lawrence played the University of Toronto, winning 66–58.^[3]^[4] The first hockey game at the arena was played against Dartmouth College on January 20, 1951.^[5]
According to David McKee, Appleton Arena is the second most difficult arena to compete in the ECACHL, after Lynah Rink. ^{[citation needed]}

References

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^ "Facilities". St. Lawrence University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
^ "St. Lawrence University: Women's Hockey". Archived from the original on 2009-04-22. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
^ St. Lawrence University: Sesquicentennial Archived June 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
^ "Larries Open Sports Home WIth Victory". Syracuse Herald-Journal. 1951-01-07. p. 41. Retrieved 2026-03-04 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Dartmouth To Dedicate Larry Rink". Rome Daily Sentinel. 1951-01-19. p. 11. Retrieved 2026-03-04 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

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Appleton Arena at StLaw.edu
SLU's women's hockey program, including a short history of the arena

v t e ECAC Hockey
Teams	Brown Bears men women Clarkson Golden Knights men women Colgate Raiders men women Cornell Big Red men women Dartmouth Big Green men women Harvard Crimson men women Princeton Tigers men women Quinnipiac Bobcats men women Rensselaer Engineers men women St. Lawrence Saints men women Union Garnet Chargers men women Yale Bulldogs men women
Venues	Meehan Auditorium (Brown) Cheel Arena (Clarkson) Class of 1965 Arena (Colgate) Lynah Rink (Cornell) Thompson Arena (Dartmouth) Bright Hockey Center (Harvard) Hobey Baker Memorial Rink (Princeton) M&T Bank Arena (Quinnipiac) Houston Field House (Rensselaer) Appleton Arena (St. Lawrence) M&T Bank Center (Union) Ingalls Rink (Yale) Herb Brooks Arena (Men's tournament)
Men's awards	All-ECAC Hockey Team Player of the Year Rookie of the Year Tim Taylor Award (Coach of the Year) Best Defensive Defenseman Best Defensive Forward Ken Dryden Award (Best Goaltender) Student-Athlete of the Year Wayne Dean Sportsmanship Award Most Outstanding Player in Tournament All-Tournament Team
Women's awards	Women's champions
Men's seasons	1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26

v t e St. Lawrence Saints men's ice hockey
Playing venues	Weeks Field Rink (1925–1929) Brewer Field Rink (1929–1930) Appleton Arena (1951–present)
Head coaches	D. F. McCarthy (1925–1926) Formoza Degre (1926–1928) James Mallon (1929–1930) Alfred Sheard (1938–1941) Jack Klemens (1946–1947) Paul Patten (1947–1950) Olav Kollevoll (1950–1955) George Menard (1955–1967, 1968–1971) Bernie McKinnon (1967–1968, 1971–1976) Leon Abbott (1976–1979) Dale Henwood (1979–1980) Mike McShane (1980–1985) Joe Marsh (1985–2012) Greg Carvel (2012–2016) Mark Morris (2016–2019) Brent Brekke (2019–present)
Seasons	1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1942–43 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26
Conference affiliations	Tri-State League (1950–1972) ECAC Hockey (1961–present)
Rivalries	Clarkson Golden Knights
Culture & lore	North Country Thanksgiving Festival
All-time leaders	Pete Lappin (187 Points) Brian McFarlane (101 Goals) Bill Sloan (65 Wins)
Frozen Four appearances	1952 1955 1956 1959 1960 1961 1962 1988 2000
NCAA Tournament appearances	1952 1955 1956 1959 1960 1961 1962 1983 1987 1988 1989 1992 1999 2000 2001 2007 2021*
Conference Tournament titles	ECAC: 1962 1988 1989 1992 2000 2001 2021
St. Lawrence University Canton, NY

v t e St. Lawrence Saints women's ice hockey
Playing venues	Appleton Arena
Head coaches	Bernie McKinnon (1978–1996) Pam Mahoney (1996–1997) Ron Waske (1997–1999) Paul Flanagan (1999–2008) Chris Wells (2008–)
Seasons	2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2009–10 2010–11 2015–16 2016–17 2019–20 2020–21
Conference affiliations	ECAC Hockey (ECAC)
Rivalries	Clarkson Golden Knights
Women's Frozen Four appearances	2004 2005 2006 2007
NCAA Tournament appearances	2001 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2012
Conference Tournament champions	ECAC: 2012
Olympians	Isabelle Chartrand Gina Kingsbury Taylor Lum Hannah Miller Anna Segedi
St. Lawrence University Canton, NY

44°35′11″N 75°09′58″W / 44.5864°N 75.1660°W / 44.5864; -75.1660

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