Ribbon cutting for newly renamed youth hockey arena

Built in 1966, the Lake County Arena has been a home for youth hockey for decades. The arena was renamed Thursday night to become the Sonju Arena, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

“It’s something that we’ve been in the works with for the better part of a year as far as getting organized because of different agencies, as far as getting everything approved,” said Sonju Two Harbors General Manager Bill Anttila. “The fun part is tonight we’re actually dedicating the arena. So we are officially changing the name even though the sign went up a little while ago.”

Sonju Two Harbors donated $300,000 that will go directly to the Two Harbors Youth Hockey Association. 

“The hope is to invest in a new ice resurfacer as well as just kind of bleachers and the kind of the things around it to make the experience a little bit better,” said Two Harbors Youth Hockey Association President Nate Gens.

The Two Harbors Youth Hockey Association will also invest money into the program, helping the kids directly with the purchase of new equipment. Investing in youth hockey is also an investment for the community.

“We bring in over $2 million every winter to our not just to harbors, but all the communities in Lake County, because we also have hockey in Silver Bay that we co-op with as well,” explained Gens. “It’s nice to have them here to support us as well as the community and be part of this whole program and make life better for all the kids.”