Hockeyville USA events set for Ice Garden, Mon Valley
The Rostraver Ice Garden won’t be hosting an NHL preseason hockey game, but the arena will be the centerpiece of a four-day celebration of hockey and community pride.
The festivities kick off Thursday and will continue through the weekend at various locations in the Mon Valley as the community commemorates the Rostraver winning the 2017 Kraft Hockeyville USA competition as the top-voted facility in the contest that brought $150,000 in funding for arena upgrades.
Ice Garden owner Jim Murphy, who has operated the facility for 25 years, said the win says a lot about the Mon Valley community and gives him the opportunity to provide needed improvements to the 3,000-seat rink that will make it more enjoyable for patrons.
The Ice Garden was chosen from 1,300 nominations from across the country last spring in the Kraft Hockeyville “For the love of hockey” contest through three rounds of online voting.
“It’s a big deal. We never could have done these upgrades without this funding,” said Murphy, noting that a roof collapse at the arena due to heavy snowfall in 2010 set the rink back financially for several years and prevented him from making needed improvements.
Murphy credited the community for returning to the Ice Garden after that setback and for continuing to support the facility through the Hockeyville voting.
“I was told we won the vote by a healthy margin. That shows their involvement,” he said. “They were there for us and wanted us to know that they support us.”
The Belle Vernon local organizing committee for the Kraft Hockeyville USA celebration announced a series of events leading up to an NHL preseason exhibition game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues to be played Sunday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Twp., capping four days of celebration.
Kraft Hockeyville gave away 2,300 tickets through a lottery system for the Penguins’ 11 a.m. practice Sunday at the Ice Garden. Murphy said the doors to the arena will open at 9 a.m. He said the team will arrive around 10 a.m. for interaction with fans outside the rink.
“They’re going to see a very, very bright arena,” said Murphy, as new LED lights throughout the arena was one of the biggest improvements to the facility after the NHL asked him to submit a list of upgrades he’d like to make at the rink using the winning funds.
Other improvements included replaced floor matting in the lobby, restrooms and party area; supply lines in the restrooms; and piping on the arena floor and to one of the rink’s compressors.
Murphy said the NHL replaced the kick plate around the base of the rink and provided protective netting for spectators around the entirety of the glass.
Locker rooms were refurbished and PPG Paints provided 50 gallons of industrial enamel to repaint the arena floor, he said.
The rink was also able to put some money towards installing a laser system on its lead Zamboni that will provide a uniform cut to the ice surface.
“The atmosphere has been nothing but upbeat, and I think the people that are going to participate are going to have a good time,” Murphy said of the weekend events.
The Stanley Cup will be on hand at the Ice Garden for public viewing Thursday before being marched through North Belle Vernon in a celebratory parade Saturday.
A youth hockey game Saturday at the Ice Garden will feature the Penguins’ game-night entertainment operation, including music, a special guest anthem singer, P.A. announcer Ryan Mill and the Penguins Ice Crew.
The following events will take place over the four-day celebration:
Thursday — Rise Against Hunger meal packaging event, California University of Pennsylvania Convocation Center, 9 a.m-1 p.m.; Stanley Cup public viewing, Ice Garden, 12-2:30 p.m.
Friday — Penguins mascot Iceburgh meet-and-greet, Belle Vernon Giant Eagle, 3:30 p.m.; Mon Ice Project gala, Cal U Convocation Center, 6:30-10:30 p.m.
Saturday — 5K race, North Belle Vernon, 9:30 a.m.; Kraft Hockeyville parade, North Belle Vernon, 10 a.m.; Pittsburgh Penguins practice, Ice Garden, 11 a.m.-noon; youth hockey game and fun fair, Ice Garden, 1:30 p.m.
Sunday — Youth hockey clinic, Ice Garden; Pittsburgh Penguins preseason game, UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, 8 p.m.
More information on all the events can be found on Facebook at RostraverHockeyville, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Rostraver2017, or online at www.MonIceProject.org.