On Location: ImOn Arena in Dubuque, Iowa

This is the latest installment in our On Location series where we cover a college game that we attend in person or provide details around a visit to a college hockey arena.

The Dubuque Spartans have called ImOn Arena home since the school debuted men’s and women’s hockey in 2023. It’s an off-campus arena that serves the city of Dubuque and the surrounding Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois communities. The arena is also home to the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL. At the onset of the 2023-24 season, the University of Dubuque became the first college in the State of Iowa to offer NCAA hockey. The first NCAA game to take place within the state of Iowa was on November 3, 2023, when the Spartans men hosted Trine University. The Thunder spoiled the debut by blanking the Spartans 4-0. The first goal scored at home by the Spartans would have to wait until the following night when James Eng scored in the second game of the weekend series.

The first women’s NCAA hockey game to be played within the state of Iowa was December 5, 2023, when the Dubuque women’s hockey team made their home debut against Saint Mary’s University. The Spartans had played the first seven contests on the road. The visiting Cardinals won the home opener 7-0. The first goal to be scored at home by the Spartans was from Lauren Jeffrey against Concordia University Wisconsin on January 14, 2024.

ImOn Arena is a 3,200-seat rink that opened September 18, 2010. It was originally named the Mystique Ice Center and was rebranded ImOn Arena in 2022. The arena is located on Chaplain Schmitt Island in the Mississippi River at the tri-border intersection where the states of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois meet. We are unable to provide photos from inside the arena as it was not open at the time when we passed through the city during the 4th of July holiday weekend. We at College Hockey History hope to see the inside of the arena when we make our way back to Dubuque at a later date.