As the Bowling Green men's hockey program prepared to move from club team status to the varsity level, it needed a new arena. In 1965, a two-year, $1.8 million project began on the east edge of campus to build such a venue, and in February 1967, the BGSU Ice Arena opened for competition.
It would be another 18 months before the men's hockey team actually received varsity recognition, and they played their first varsity game on November 14, 1969. Nearly 28-hundred fans watched an 8-2 Falcon victory in that inaugural game at the Ice Arena, and nearly 2 million fans have walked through the turnstiles in the 35 years since that first game.
In December 1988, the Board of Trustees approved a seating expansion to the arena, closing in the north end with 1,687 additional seats, raising the total capacity to an even 5,000. The new seats saw their first fans on October 13, 1989, with an official dedication the following night. The expansion allowed attendance to soar at the Ice Arena, with over 79,000 fans filling the arena over 20 home dates that year, an average of just under 4,000 per game. Only one other time in Falcon Hockey history (1996-97) has the arena seen over 70,000 fans attend Bowling Green hockey games in a single season.
Three capacity crowds attended games at the Ice Arena in the 1995-96 season, including the current arena record of 5,021 that watched BG battle Michigan on December 2, 1995. A crowd of 5,013 just missed breaking that mark two months later at a game against Notre Dame.
Not just for CCHA hockey, the Ice Arena also hosts Bowling Green H.S. hockey games, and houses a studio patch for figure skating, and a curling rink, as well as a 150-person capacity lounge. The lobby of the arena contains several showcases highlighting the history of the varsity hockey program, and photographs of all members of the BG Athletic Hall of Fame. The Hobey Baker Award won in 1982 by Falcon icer George McPhee is also on display in the lobby.
Beginning in the fall of 2003, a $750,000 renovation project has included new dressing rooms and coaches offices, and was funded in large part by donations from former members of the Falcon hockey team.
Through the 2004-05 season, Bowling Green has won 68 percent of its games (443-195-40) at home.
(Taken, in most part, from the 2004-05 BG Hockey Media Guide, with some factual updating.)