ASU Inks Naming Rights Deal For Iceplex Adjacent To New Arena

TEMPE, AZ —Arizona State on Thursday announced a deal with Mountain America Credit Union (MACU) for the naming rights to the practice and community ice rink that will be housed inside the new $134 million multi-purpose arena being built on campus.

The Mountain America Community Iceplex at ASU will serve as the training center and practice rink for the ASU men's hockey team as well as a community ice rink.

The facility will feature a 200-foot by 85-foot ice surface with a 300-person capacity, including seating for 185 guests. The lobby will have a concession stand and a full hockey pro shop.

ASU and venue operator OVG360 said the deal with the Sandy, Utah-based MACU was a multi-year naming rights partnership. Though terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The university and OVG360, formerly Oak View Group, have yet to announce a naming rights deal for the 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena, which will be home to ASU men's hockey, wrestling and women's volleyball and, for at least three seasons, the NHL's Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes announced on Feb. 10 that they would play in the arena while attempting to get a permanent NHL-capacity arena built in Tempe.

According to a release, Mountain America Credit Union will have a heavy brand presence in the main arena and the Iceplex. The latter is expected to play a role in growing the sports of hockey and figure skating in the Valley.

"When we added men's ice hockey to ASU's portfolio of Division I sports, our priority was to grow both our program and encourage the development of hockey in our community," said Frank Ferrara, CFO of Sun Devil Athletics.

Ferrara added: "We're thrilled to expand our reach through a new partnership with Mountain America Credit Union at our new multi-purpose arena. It speaks volumes of MACU's commitment to the local area and we look forward to working together to continue supporting hockey in the desert at all levels."

Peter Luukko, co-chair of OVG360, said he expects the new Iceplex to be one of the best sheets of ice in the area.

The Mountain America Community Iceplex at ASU will be a spectacular place for kids and adults to skate and to play the great game of hockey," Luukko said. "It will be an inspiring place where a child can grow through our youth hockey programs and possibly end up playing here at Arizona State University. We are excited about the future of ice sports here in the Valley, and we are grateful for this partnership between Mountain America, ASU, and OVG360."

The new multi-purpose arena is scheduled to open in the fall. The original project was expected to cost $115 million.

Another $19.7 million in upgrades has been added to the project in order to make the building an NHL-caliber facility. Those additions will include coaches' rooms, equipment rooms and technology upgrades, all of which will be paid for by the Coyotes.