Merrimack Athletics Complex
MAC | |
Lawler Arena Post-Renovation 2024 | |
Interactive map of Merrimack Athletics Complex | |
| Location | North Andover, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Owner | Merrimack College |
| Operator | Merrimack College |
| Capacity | 2,549 (hockey arena) 1,200 (basketball arena) |
| Surface | 200 x 85 ft (hockey) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1972 |
| Opened | November 28, 1972 |
| Renovated | 2012-2013, 2023 |
| Construction cost | $2 million ($15.4 million in 2025 dollars) |
| Tenants | |
| Merrimack Warriors athletics | |
The Merrimack Athletics Complex is the home of the Merrimack College 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 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 McQuade 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/volleyball court is named after former men's basketball head coach Bert Hammel who was part of the program for 40+ years.
The complex also contains all athletic department offices, The Sports Medicine and Health Sciences Center, Academic Innovation Center, a Strength and Conditioning Center and the Merrimack Athletics Hall of Fame.