A first for the Northland, and it’s in Grand Rapids. This year, there will be arena ice outdoors, at Miners Pavilion. The pavilion was built in 2016, and is right next to Yanmar Arena.

Grand Rapids Youth Hockey has been working diligently on this. Ryan Dekich, a hockey parent and board member, told us, “The community has really stepped up. And the hockey families have been here, putting in the time to make this facility what it is.”

10 miles of pipe are now laid on the pavilion floor, ready for that ice.

“We have a lot of outdoor rinks, but are at the mercy of Mother Nature. This is a solution to that. It will allow more teams to visit and play here in Grand Rapids,” added Andy Haarklau, VP of the association.

The hope is to play from end of October through April. And ice time is precious in the Northland.

It’s a $1.1 million dollar project, and they could still use some support. They are grateful for the money that comes in from charitable gambling.