In 2016 the Upper Peninsula of Michigan came together to bring the Kraft Hockeyville USA title to Marquette’s Lakeview Arena.
The 3,100-seat facility hosted the pre-season NHL game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo will be one of the teams played in Clinton’s pre-season game, taking on the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Lakeview opened in 1973 and is home to the Marquette High School Redmen and the semi-pro Marquette Iron Rangers. The Rangers in 1969 signed Karen Koch, the first female professional ice hockey player.
From 1976-99 Lakeview was also the home ice for the Northern Michigan University Wildcats. The Wildcats ran off a perfect home record in the 1990-91 season as they won their first NCAA Division 1 men’s ice hockey championship.
Lakeview is owned by the City of Marquette, the largest city in the UP with a population of a little more than 21,000. The city on Lake Superior is home to a major port and the largest wooden dome in the world, called the Superior Dome but better known as the YooperDome.
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