View source for Merrimack Athletics Complex

{{more footnotes|date=March 2019}} 
{{Infobox venue 
| stadium_name     = Merrimack Athletics Complex
| nickname         = MAC
| image            = Lawler_Arena_Post-Renovation_2024.jpg
| caption          = Lawler Arena Post-Renovation 2024
| location         = [[North Andover, Massachusetts]]
| broke_ground     = 1972
| opened           = November 28, 1972
| renovated        = 2012-2013, 2023
| closed           = 
| demolished       = 
| owner            = [[Merrimack College]]
| operator         = Merrimack College
| surface          = 200 x 85 ft (hockey)
| construction_cost= $2 million <br>(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|2000000|1972}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}})
| architect        = 
| former_names     = 
| tenants           = [[Merrimack Warriors]] athletics
| seating_capacity  = 2,549 (hockey arena)<br>1,200 (basketball arena)
}}

The '''Merrimack Athletics Complex''' is the home of the [[Merrimack College]] [[Merrimack Warriors|Warriors]] athletics teams.  It has a basketball court and hockey arena. '''Hammel Court''', located in the '''Volpe Athletic Center''',  is the home of the men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the volleyball team.  '''Lawler Rink''' is the home of the Division I [[Merrimack Warriors men's ice hockey]] team, which had won the 1978 Division II national title before transitioning to Division I and joining the [[Hockey East|Hockey East Conference]].

The athletic center is named for S. Peter Volpe, a member of the college's Board of Trustees and benefactor.  His construction company was responsible for the building of the McQuaid Library on campus.  His brother, [[John Volpe]], was [[U.S. Secretary of Transportation]] under President [[Richard M. Nixon]].   The hockey arena is named for [[J. Thom Lawler]], former coach of the men's hockey team who died in 1978 at age 44, just after leading the team to their first national title. The basketball and volleyball court is named after former men's basketball head coach Bert Hammel.<ref>{{cite news|last=Pave|first=Marvin|title=Bert Hammel, selfless Merrimack College men’s basketball coach, dies at 67|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2018/10/22/bert-hammel-selfless-merrimack-college-men-basketball-coach-dies/nTsKoJqUR3QiTVQ0V3aRrM/story.html|work=The Boston Globe|date=October 22, 2018}}</ref>

== Renovations ==
Over the summer and winter break of 2010, extensive renovation was done on the arena. The wooden bench seating was completely replaced with seatback chair seating and a student bleacher section was installed behind the visiting goalie's side. The "tin foil" insulation was removed from the roof as well. Seating capacity did decrease, however.

A major expansion<ref>{{cite news |title=Merrimack Sports Receive A Facelift |url=https://www.eagletribune.com/news/local_news/merrimack-sports-receive-a-facelift/article_fd90baa6-5fdc-5fbb-9826-7028abaf7388.html |access-date=16 July 2024 |work=Eagle Tribune}}</ref> was completed in 2013 that included a second ice rink, a franchise food location, and a campus bookstore.

A new scoreboard/jumbrotron was added prior to the 2022-23 season. 

[[File:Lawler_Arena_Gallant_Pavillion_2024.jpg|thumb|Gallant Pavilion Grand Opening in October 2023]]
[[File:Lawler_Arena_Scoreboard.jpg|thumb|New scoreboard prior to Merrimack vs Vermont Men's Hockey game. The first game post-renovation and grand opening of the Gallant Pavilion in October 2023]]

Extensive renovations were also completed in the fall of 2023. Funding was provided by Richard H’15 and Susanna Gallant.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lawler Renovation |url= https://www.merrimack.edu/news/transformative-gift-to-enhance-fan-experience-at-lawler-rink/ |access-date=2024-05-17 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Lawler Basketball Configuration ==
Merrimack Men's Basketball played their first ever game at Lawler Arena during the [[2021–22 Merrimack Warriors men's basketball team|2021-22]] season when they hosted [[Lehigh Mountain Hawks men's basketball|Lehigh]]. Since then the arena has become a two-sport venue with the ability to change between hockey and basketball like many NHL/NBA arenas. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Lawler Basketball to Hockey|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yccJ9rGwOjg |access-date=2024-05-17 |language=en-US}}</ref>
[[File:Lawler_Arena_Basketball_Configuration_2024.jpg|thumb|right|Merrimack vs FDU Basketball Jan 2024]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://merrimackathletics.com/facilities/?id=13 Merrimack Athletics Complex]
* [https://merrimackathletics.com/facilities/?id=4 Lawler Rink]
* [https://merrimackathletics.com/facilities/?id=2 Hammel Court]

{{Merrimack Warriors men's basketball navbox}}
{{Merrimack Warriors women's basketball navbox}}
{{Merrimack Warriors men's ice hockey navbox}}
{{Merrimack Warriors women's ice hockey navbox}}
{{Merrimack College|state=autocollapse}} 
{{Hockey East}}

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[[Category:Buildings and structures in North Andover, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:College basketball venues in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:College ice hockey venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Indoor arenas in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Ice hockey venues in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Merrimack College]]
[[Category:Sports in Essex County, Massachusetts]]


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