| abstract | - The Pegula Ice Arena is a planned 6,000-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Pennsylvania on the campus of Penn State University. The planned arena is currently in the preliminary stage with hopes to begin construction in 2011. The ice arena is planned to open in 2013 to replace the 1,350-seat Penn State Ice Pavilion. The facility will be located on the corner of Curtin Road and University Drive near the Bryce Jordan Center. It was announced on January 21, 2011 that the arena would be named in honor of Terry and Kim Pegula whose $88 million donation helped fund the arena and the creation of men's and women's varsity hockey programs. On September 17, 2010 it was officially announced the men's and women's ice hockey programs will move to the NCAA Division I level for the 2012-13 season. The teams will compete in the existing 1,350-seat Penn State Ice Pavilion until the new arena is completed in the Fall of 2013. Penn State will begin to look for a contractor with hopes to begin construction next year on a new, freestanding, on-campus ice arena designed to meet the needs of both the Nittany Lions hockey teams, Penn State’s ACHA DII club ice hockey team; as well as campus and community recreation, classes, public skating sessions, and youth camps. The new ice arena will be capable of hosting other on-ice events, including ice shows and National Hockey League and American Hockey League exhibition games. The main ice arena will feature a main competition ice arena with seating planned to be around 6,000 spectators. The facility will also include a practice rink, offices, locker room and player areas. The facility will be 100% privately funded as part of the $88 million gift, the largest in the university's history, to advance the men's and women's ice hockey programs to the NCAA DI level and provide a suitable facility for that move. On November 5, 2010 the Penn State's Board of Trustees appointed Crawford Architects and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson the architects for the new arena. Crawford Architects has worked on projects in the US and internationally and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson designed the Biobehavioral Health Building, currently under construction on the PSU campus.
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