Brantford Bulldogs at Niagara IceDogs Meridian Centre St. Catharines

The Meridian Centre is an arena that is located in St. Catharines, Ontario. The venue was officially inaugurated for the public on October 11, 2014, with a total construction cost of $50 million. The arena has a seating capacity of 5,300 – Hockey, 5,580 - Standing Room, 6,000 – Concerts, and 4,030 – Basketball. It is under the ownership of the City of St. Catharines and is operated by SMG Canada ULC. PBK Architects completed the architecture of the building. The Meridian Centre serves as the home field to the Niagara River Lions of the Canadian Elite Basketball League and the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League. Niagara Lock Monsters (CLax) is the only past tenant.

The name of the Meridian Centre was announced in September 2013 when the naming rights of the arena were passed to Meridian Credit Union in recognition of its $5.23 million contributions made by the firm for the project. In 1990, the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame was founded to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of men and women, both along with builders and athletes. The St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame was relocated to the concourse level of the venue when the Meridian Centre’s construction was completed.

In 2016, the Meridian Centre hosted the 2016 IIHF World Women’s U18 Championship. Some of the other notable events hosted at the arena are a pre-season exhibition game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres (NHL), the 2017 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship, and the 2020 CEBL Bubble. Some popular acts who performed at the arena include Tim Hicks, Old Dominion, Elton John, John Mellencamp, The Tragically Hip, Chris De Burgh, Daniel O’ Donnell, Metric, and Johnny Reid.