The $1.4 million Mercyhurst Ice Center (MIC), built in 1991 for the Laker hockey team, has 35,280 square feet. It was the first privately owned professional-size hockey rink in Erie . In 1999, it became home of the Mercyhurst women's hockey program. Mercyhurst students can also use the ice for recreational skating. The Ice Center was the site of the 1995 ECAC West Playoffs, the 1995 NCAA Division II Men's Ice Hockey Championship between Mercyhurst and Bemidji State, the 2005 and 2009 Women's College Hockey America (CHA) Playoffs and two NCAA Women's Quarterfinal games.
In addition to men's and women's varsity hockey, the Mercyhurst Ice Center is also used by the college's club hockey team, the Erie Youth Hockey Association, local high school teams, local figure skating clubs, and the Erie Chapter of SABAH. The rink opened Dec. 8, 1991.
Prior to the construction of the Mercyhurst Ice Center , the men's team was affectionately known as the "Boys on the Bus," playing almost all of their games on the road and practicing at the crack of dawn at public rinks. In their third year of varsity play, the team played 27 out of 33 games at out-of-town arenas. Despite having no home ice, the Lakers gained national prominence by finishing among the top NCAA Division III teams in the nation. Thereafter, the Mercyhurst board of trustees directed college officials either to build a rink or to abandon the sport.
In a unique funding arrangement, Mercyhurst students agreed to pay for the ice center through a $56 increase in their annual building assessment fee. The money generates $80,000 each year and will retire the school-backed bond in 2021.
Mercyhurst spent $175,000 in 2007 for improvements to the facility. Work began in late May on new dasherboards, glass, protective netting, player benches, and penalty boxes. In 2008, Mercyhurst used a generous donation from National City to install a flat-screen television in the front lobby.
Both hockey teams have been very successful over the years. The men's team, started in 1987-88, has made six trips to the NCAAs, three since joining Division I in 1999.
The women's team has won 252 games since its inception in 1999 and has made five successive trips to NCAA play, including an appearance in the national championship game in 2009.