University of St. Thomas has opened a new hockey and basketball arena that supports its move into Division I.  

The Lee and Penny Anderson Arena was named for long-standing university benefactors who donated $75 million to build the $175 million arena on the St. Paul, Minnesota, campus. It opened in October 2025, for the 2025/26 sports season. The 4,000-seat arena can transition from basketball court to ice rink, and includes training and conditioning facilities for men’s and women’s athletics, basketball practice facility, coaches office suite, student athlete support services, equipment services, and more.

IMEG provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and technology engineering services for the project as a subconsultant to Ryan Companies US, Inc.  

IMEG was tasked with designing both the ice refrigeration and HVAC systems, which included ammonia refrigeration with desiccant dehumidification. These systems were designed to operate seamlessly together, efficiently transitioning from a hockey game to a basketball game. In order to help meet the university’s goals of a LEED Silver facility, while also abiding by applicable design standards and local construction codes, IMEG re-designed the campus electrical and mechanical utilities to provide the necessary power and systems to the new arena, as well as providing  continued coverage to other surrounding campus buildings.

Watch a video or read a  case study.