Built in 1976, Taffy Abel Arena comfortably seats 3,800 fans. The home of the 1988, 1992 and 1994 NCAA Division I National Champions, Abel Arena hosts one of college hockey's most storied programs. Legends built their legacies here, while future stars aim to add to the banners that adorn the rafters. A hub of youth hockey in Sault Ste. Marie, generations of young players skate on this ice, hoping to one day proudly wear the anchor themselves. The facility was renovated in the massive Gem of the North project in 1995 and again in 2026.

The arena bears the name of Clarence John "Taffy" Abel, a Sault Ste. Marie, MI native who starred in the early days of the NHL. "Taffy" was the first Ojibwe, and first Native American, to compete in the Olympics. In 1924, he carried the American flag during the opening ceremonies of the Chamonix Olympics, the first Winter Olympic Games, then scored 15 goals during the tournament. The United States won a silver medal in Men's Ice Hockey. "Taffy" competed for eight seasons in the young National Hockey League. He won the Stanley Cup twice - first in 1928 during his three seasons with the New York Rangers, then with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1934, his final professional season. Abel returned home to the Sault after his playing career ended, where he coached youth hockey and ran a resort named "Taffy's Lodge."

But it wasn't until 1939, five years after his playing career ended, that Clarence "Taffy" Abel revealed his Ojibwe heritage. As part of the Gem of the North renovation in the mid-1990s, LSSU's Ice Arena, which remains part of the larger James C. Norris Center, was renamed in honor of Abel, a pioneer within the game.

Today, Abel Arena boasts impressive home locker room facilities, ample space for youth and college teams alike, and an incredible legacy that players of all ages yearn to contribute toward. Lake Superior State's ACHA men's and women's hockey teams also compete here in one of college hockey's hallowed homes.