This is the second kiddo hockey tournament I had placed here. It is an amazing rink with two sets of ice: the main rink, and a practice rink. Upstairs is the regular arena where the Irish play NCAA games. Downstairs is access to the practice area. Games are held on both but championship tourney games are traditionally held in the main. If you are looking for food and snacks, there is a snack shop near the bottom arena and also a place to rent skates and/or request regular skate maintenance...I.e. skate sharpening, blade falls off, etc. Parking is pay through an app during weekdays but was free on weekends. Not expensive though. I recommend eating at Rohr's which is connected to the Morris Inn if you have time. It's a much better option than other restaurants and extremely close. Easy walk on a nice day; if it is cold, park outside the bookstore and walk in. And, I mean, the campus bookstore, not the other one near all the random restaurants. Have fun! Beautiful campus! read more

Compton Family Ice Arena - Main Rink - Skating Rinks Near Me - Notre Dame, Indiana

What a great place to watch hockey. Not a bad seat in the house. Lots of different prices but all seemed good. We sat close to the rink and loved the energy. Ushers and staff were really helpful. Easy to enter and leave. Band was great and what a horn for goals. Lots of fun. Definite go to place. read more

Compton Family Ice Arena - Getting ready - Skating Rinks Near Me - Notre Dame, Indiana

It really is a beautiful place, and I say that even though I hate the exterior architecture. I just kind of forget the outside of the place, and you will too once you walk inside the doors and appreciate the way in which the interior design draws you in like almost no other indoor sports venue I've visited. The first time I came here, I had already seen a few hockey games played here on TV, but I hadn't realized just how perfect and intimate its scale was. That first visit also didn't include an actual hockey game; nope, we were headed to O'Brien's for a pre-NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four buffet, which we mostly missed (the buffet, not the basketball games), but I'm really glad Marlene brought us here because I had really wanted to see the place, and it just blew me away. So we noshed on some finger foods, and I bought pucks for Dan and Jorge from the little store. Five years later, I returned with my parents for the Big Ten Hockey Tournament Championship Game between Penn State and Notre Dame. I snagged the tickets last minute, and we got here right before puck drop, but I was again wowed, this time by the game-time excitement. I know, I know--most hockey games are intense, and this was a championship game, so I really should have expected it, but it's almost impossible to describe just how charged the atmosphere was. I've been to dozens of sporting events in my life, including a few football games that were really historic, but to pack this much excitement into a 5,000-seat hockey arena at a football school? I didn't think it was possible, but it is, and if you offered me a ticket to see anyone playing hockey here, I think I'd take you up on it--OK, maybe not for a peewee hockey game, but maybe so? This review is already too long, but I'll be weird and annoying and continue. Here's some stuff you should look for when you're here: 1. Flags. Most sports arenas in the US have American flags hanging from the rafters somewhere. Most NHL arenas also have Canadians flags since teams from Canada visit regularly. Notre Dame has American and Canadian flags, but it also has Austrian, German, Irish, and Italian flags (and maybe more). Why? Because each time a foreign national plays for Notre Dame, the school honors that player by hanging his country's flag--and they don't remove the flag once he graduates or otherwise leaves, so eventually, there should be flags from Finland, Switzerland, Russia, and maybe even Slovenia (think Anže, not Melania). 2. Different ND monograms. They're all over the inside of the arena. Many of them looks cartoonishly strange, but that's kind of the point. Combine the flags and the monograms, and you get that wondrous feeling you got when you were a kid when you visited something that was supposed to remind you of a Swiss chalet, like the Matterhorn (https://www.yelp.com/biz/matterhorn-bobsleds-anaheim-2) and Village Haus Restaurant (https://www.yelp.com/biz/village-haus-restaurant-anaheim-3). 3. Simple layout that's confusing. It really is simple. You enter the arena from the northwest corner, and the rink goes runs east and west. The two ends look totally different, so there's no way you could get confused when you're actually here. But I'm always confused when I'm watching on TV because I always thought the cameras were on the north side of the rink. That would place the Notre Dame bench on the south side of the rink and the band on the east side. But then I actually came to a game here, and the Notre Dame bench is on the north side, which means the band is on the west side. That might not seem like a big deal, but it really is, and every single time I watch a game on TV, I have to retrain my brain so that I know what's where. 4. A real home-ice advantage. This one is for the hockey nerds. College hockey rinks have different dimensions. (NHL rinks used to be different too, but the NHL eventually standardized the dimensions, and now that every NHL arena is fairly new, all the rinks are the same size.) Even when new college arenas are built, the rinks can be different sizes, within certain parameters, but there is a rule that the locations of benches and penalty boxes must be standardized: both teams' benches on one side of the rink, and the penalty boxes on the opposite side. Notre Dame built this place in 2011, after that rule had come into effect, yet they didn't follow it. Nope, the opposing teams' benches are on opposite sides of the ice, which means that both penalty boxes are on the same side as the Notre Dame bench. This gives the Notre Dame a very distinct advantage, because when an Irish player comes out of the penalty box, he can skate a few feet to his bench, and another player can instantly replace him on the ice. The opposing team can't do that. I don't generally approve of rule-breaking, but for a real advantage for the home team? Count me in. If you have to sit behind a goal, pick the east end. It's a small section, but you're right on top of the ice. Perfect! read more

We had a wicked good time at the Compton tonight! This was my first hockey game and the Irish did not disappoint! Not a dull moment at this family friendly event. The Notre Dame Marching Band kept us warm by keeping us moving. Lots of fun! Mittens next time! Burr! read more

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Ive been involved with hockey since I was 4. I cant think of a better venue to watch a hockey game. My son plays in the IYHL and we spend quite a bit of time at the Compton for his practices and games. We also attend open skate, usually on Friday nights there, but if there is open Ice they often have a noon skate on weekedays. If my work schedule allows a noon skate is a great way to get some excercise on a hot summer day. Mike Mcneil, Molly Mahoney, Kevin Deeth and the whole Compton staff are so friendly and helpful as well. We love the Compton! read more

Compton Family Ice Arena - Lefty Smith Arena - Skating Rinks Near Me - Notre Dame, Indiana

Love, love, love this place! Love how this arena involvement and sharing their love of skating with the community. Go Irish!

Went to the pro shop to have skates sharpened. We had previously had the work done at another establishment and were not happy with the performance of the skates. The gentleman behind the counter inspected the skates and confirmed that the previous work was very sub-par. He took the time to completely repair and square all the edges and left us with beautiful mirror finished 1/2" ROH. Top notch work! No one else will be touching our skates. I can honestly say that I have not seen anyone take more pride in their work. I was blown away. Go Irish! read more

Consistently rated one of the top college hockey arenas. Very nice amenities and good sight lines. Features an Irish pub on the second level. read more

Compton Family Ice Arena - RIT v Minnesota State - Skating Rinks Near Me - Notre Dame, Indiana

New to the Hockey scene but LOVE IT! This place is very nice with plenty of folks to help you find your way around. Bought season tickets to Notre Dame Hockey games this season. I'm hooked!!! read more

I went with my 2 little nieces for the Halloween family skate and it was so much fun! This place is great, the Ice Arena is well maintained and the skate sharpening prices are very reasonable. They even have a nice Irish bar if you want to refresh yourself with a drink. read more

I went here about 2 months ago to see the Blackhawks do an exhibition thing. The building is great, wonderous, stellar....but $8 for a bag of popcorn?!?!?! Everything was so big city priced, uh uh, not me man. For tickets, I am willing to pay. But for simple food item priced like they were truffles? Nope. read more