By ABC/FOX Montana Sports Staff
October 29, 2018
Staff and volunteers put in countless hours every year to prepare the Great Falls Ice Plex for the busy season.
The Great Falls Ice Plex has opened from September to March for the past ten years now.
It hosts anything from birthday parties and youth sports to the Americans ice hockey games.
From checking equipment to cleaning the facility, staff and volunteers work tirelessly to get the ice rink up and running.
What makes things even more difficult is what lies below the ice.
Under the ice rink is a sand floor that needs to be worked on annually because it constantly shifts throughout the year.
If this isn’t hard enough, the weather also plays an important role in how smoothly setting up goes.
“The weather is a big part. Last season, August, August is when we start the compressors. Last season it was ninety degrees out every day which put the temperature inside the building at sixty-eight degrees and it was tough to make ice,” says Bob Sachen, the Ice Plex rink manager.
Regardless of the weather, Bob says without the generosity of volunteers, the ice plex wouldn’t be possible.
For more information on upcoming events, check out the Great Falls Ice Plex website at greatfallsiceplex.com.
Story Courtesy: ABC/FOX Montana (KFBB): Behind the scenes of the Great Falls Ice Plex (October 29, 2018)