Inside look at St. Thomas’ brand-new Lee & Penny Anderson Arena

Facilities

Another thing that stood out to me is how the men's and women's programs all have practice facilities connected to the arena. Many schools across the country do not have that luxury, and it's a huge plus for all four programs. There are extra practice areas for both sports inside the arena.

Locker rooms

The locker rooms were the only part of the tour that we were not able to record or take pictures of. All I can say is that they're well above the baseline for a Division I program.

Size

When compared to a big-time program, a 4,000 to 5,000-seat capacity might seem small, but it fits a school like St. Thomas perfectly. "Not a bad seat in the house" is an overused term, but I think it's deserved for this arena. Compared to other basketball and hockey forward schools, it has the potential to provide a similar intimate environment.

Overall experience

Touring an arena that still has a lot of finishing touches left is far different than watching a sporting event there. I will hold my overall judgement, but Lee & Penny Anderson Arena has the potential to be one of the coolest places to watch a game in the Twin Cities.

St. Thomas has an average enrollment of less than 10,000 students, and it has been a Division I athletics program for roughly five years. It's a unique school in a unique location, and I think they leaned into that with this arena. I hate to compare it to the University of Minnesota, but it's the only other Division I University in the state. I can confidently predict that a St. Thomas game will be a much different experience than anything the Gophers currently provide.