Minnedosa Arena hosts a number of tournaments, skating programs, minor & senior hockey. The arena becomes a bustling hub of activity throughout the winter and is/can be used for other events throughout the rest of the year.
In 1947, a recycled military building or airplane hanger moved to Minnedosa from CFB Portage and was converted into our existing Minnedosa District Arena over the course of 5 months and a price tag of $34,800. Originally a natural ice surface, and later converted to artificial ice, this Arena has served faithfully as home to local skaters over the course of the last 74 years. Boosting a small but mighty ice surface of 83’x180’ our local rink has served the community’s recreation needs well, despite growing need for repairs.
In mid 2021, the federal and provincial governments announced funding for the New Harold Gilleshammer Regional Events Centre, which is set to replace the aging Minnedosa District Arena, meaning that staff of the Town of Minnedosa Parks and Recreation Services, may have recently installed ice at the old rink, for the final time.
With an Arena turned Election Poll Station, and unseasonably warm weather in September, the prep for the 2021-2022 ice season was behind. In a typical year, CIMCO Refrigeration is called mid September to start up the Ice Plant at the Arena, but when the weather is too hot, the system will be forced to shut off, causing us to wait until cooler weather. Our Ice Making Team started by prepping the concrete surface for the ice, which means sweeping and mopping to make sure there are no containments that may impede the ice bonding to the concrete surface, and then waiting until the opportune temperature of the concrete slab/building before getting started on the actual ice making process, which was finally reached on October 14th. Our team wasted no time spraying light layers of water down with a hose so that it freezes consistently to the slab. Each pass over the ice surface with the hose takes approximately an hour, and we need around 15-20 good passes down before we can start painting the ice. The base layer of paint is done by mixing gallons of water and white paint powder, which is then pumped through a hose to a spray boom – a series of nozzles attached to a pipe on a set of wheels. Laying down the base white paint, and sealing it, takes approximately 7 hours of time, but the results are stunning. The white sheet of paint makes for a perfect blank canvas for the hockey lines. Our Staff used paper line kits, which are a great, and faster alternative to hand painting the lines. With a consistency like tissue paper, these line kits may be tedious to lay down, but with proper measurements, and care, the staff can lay down all the lines, circles and creases within a few hours. Lastly, we finish up the goalie creases with a can of blue paint, and the whole surface is ready to be sealed in. After paint, it takes an additional 20-30 more floods done with the Zamboni before the ice is ready to skate on. Each flood takes about an hour and a half, depending on freezing time.
Although we had a late start to our ice making this year thanks to the beautiful weather, Our Ice Making Team of four was able to complete making the ice within a 6-day period to be able to once again welcome back our local skaters on October 20th. A big thank you to Dan Bailey, our on-Ice, hands on instructor this year for his expertise and guidance.
