Fresh Ice on its Way; Construction Continues in Mesa

The newest rink in Arizona, in Mesa, is on schedule to open in early October.
The Arizona Made Ice Forum will be the official home and training facility for the Arizona Kachinas' girls and women's hockey program. Currently five elite Kachinas teams travel the country for games and tournaments. Four developmental teams compete in the Valley.
Arizona ranked first last year in growth for female hockey players in U.S. NHL markets. More than 150 girls registered to play in the Kachinas association.

The 36,000 square foot Arizona Made Ice Forum, the ninth rink and 14th sheet of ice in Arizona, will house a full-sized NHL rink (200x85 ft.), five locker rooms, a pro shop, a multi-functional party and meeting room, a skate rental area, a snack bar, and a dryland training area with a skating treadmill.

Rink owners Eddie Hill and Kelly Olson are supervising the construction. Hill played eight years professionally, including a stint with the Phoenix Roadrunners (ECHL) in 2005. Olson played Division I college hockey at the University of Minnesota.
A visit Friday showed the most recent development, the installation of the boards. And they have some history.
"They go way back," Hill said. "They were originally used at the Pittsburgh Civic Center where Mario Lemieux played. You can see on the side of them, it says 'Penguins.' From there, they were used for 'Hockey Day in Minnesota' games before coming here."

The Zamboni hails from Minnesota, too. It was used to resurface the outdoor rink at the Minnesota State Fair.
But most else comes brand-new, straight out of the box, because when it comes to battling the desert heat, you can't take any chances with much -- and certainly not with refrigeration.
"We've got brand new refrigeration, dehumidification," Olson said. "The latest, greatest refrigeration. We wanted to invest in that. The best of the best. That's going to help us keep the ice quality and the air quality at a good standard."

The rink has a cozy feel. That atmosphere is enhanced by a relatively low ceiling -- and for a reason.
"It's creating a thermal layer between the roof and the rink floor," said Tim McIntosh, the rink specialist and construction leader. "So, it's like putting a blanket over everything to run efficiently. The low ceiling is actually going to make this place more efficient than anything, because you don't have all of that open air. In those big venues, on a warm, humid day, all of that open air can soften the ice. The ice is going to be as hard as a rock here."
Ice will be laid after the 11½ miles of refrigerated piping is installed in the floor to cool the 10,000 gallons of water needed to build a strong sheet.
Is it October, yet? They're certainly working toward it, McIntosh said.
"Every single day now."