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So many of their opponents skate in facilities that aren't their own. St. Olaf is now one of four schools in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference that have a dedicated ice arena. "They have a home. That's the best way to say it," says Koontz. "They actually have a home, and that makes a huge difference for them." St. Olaf Hockey Highlights Starting in the 1920-30s, the men's varsity hockey team skated on an outdoor rink on campus. There were no stands. There was no scoreboard, as far as Koontz knows. Then, the city built its arena as a tempo- rary facility in 1975. St. Olaf began rent- ing ice over there and replaced the old sheet with a dorm. Student figure skaters didn't have their own club like they do today. They skated with the community skating club. Years passed, and the not actu- ally temporary Northfield Ice Arena remained the school's only local option for skating. That changed when the college transformed its old Skoglund Fieldhouse into the new St. Olaf Ice Arena. A trained eye can still spot traces of the original limestone facade in the walls by the entrance, locker room halls and Zamboni room. The atmosphere is distinctly St. Olaf. The school crest is hard to miss walking through the front door, and its 804 stadium seats are decked out in black and gold. With low ceilings and 22 pounding speakers, the arena buzzes with contagious energy dur- ing games. The LED light system is pro- grammed to flash and dance every time the Oles score. The arena even got a hold of an organ in time for the last series of the sea- son. St. Olaf is famed for its music and arts programs, so students are gearing up for a whole season of playing the instrument. "It's just kind of a cool, a neat little arena. And it's definitely built for college hockey," says Koontz. "When the build- ing gets packed, it gets loud. It's one of the funnest places to be, I'll tell you that." Students, faculty and the public alike have embraced the facility. About 9 in 10 students live on campus, and those who never would've set foot in the Northfield Ice Arena saw their first game this year. Student-athletes from non-ice sports flock to the stands. The figure skating club is growing and just wrapped up its first ice show in mid- May. A curling club will officially start throwing stones next year. Plus, so many locals are hungry to watch hockey. There's also a lot of alumni in town, and the youth and high school pro- grams are becoming more popular. The city's public rink is seasonal, so watching junior or high school competitions in the offseason used to involve driving at least an hour in any direction. It definitely helps to have a year-round arena right in the community's own backyard. USICERINKS.COM JULY.AUGUST.2019 / 19 STUDENTS, FACULTY AND THE PUBLIC ALIKE HAVE EMBRACED THE FACILITY. ABOUT 9 IN 10 STUDENTS LIVE ON CAMPUS, AND THOSE WHO NEVER WOULD'VE SET FOOT IN THE NORTHFIELD ICE ARENA SAW THEIR FIRST GAME THIS YEAR.