Connecticut College’s Dayton Arena plays host to Men’s and Women’s ice hockey teams. The facility features a 200-by-85-foot ice surface, seating for 500, offices and locker rooms.
The arena was a gift from brothers Judd Dayton ’80 and Duncan Dayton ’81. It was constructed in 1979 as the College’s first athletic facility built on a section of campus overlooking the Thames River. The arena’s construction coincided with the hiring of former NHL player Doug Roberts to begin a varsity men’s ice hockey program in 1980-81. The facility has hosted several ECAC and NESCAC playoff games as well as numerous figure skating and youth hockey events. The late Gordie Howe, “Mr. Hockey” and NHL Hall of Famer, played in three Hartford Whaler Old-Timer games at Dayton Arena in the mid-80s.
This is a NCAA Division III facility; the Connecticut Camels play in the NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference).
Other arenas within NESCAC include Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center (Colby College), Orr Rink (Amherst College), Underhill Arena (Bates College), Sidney J. Watson Arena (Bowdoin College), Sage Rink (Hamilton College), Chip Kenyon ’85 Arena (Middlebury College), Koeppel Community Sports Center (Trinity College), Malden Valley Forum (Tufts University), Spurrier-Snyder Rink (Wesleyan University) and Lansing Chapman Rink (Williams College).
