Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/326847
FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, GOAL CREASES ARE A COMMON PROBLEM AREA IN RINKS. IF YOU DO HAVE ISSUES IN THIS AREA OF THE RINK, HOW DO YOU REPAIR IT? Quite often, rink workers will dump a large amount of water (several 5-gallon buckets) on this area at the end of the night and let it sit and freeze slowly, thinking that this will correct the situation. Adding a large amount of water at the end of the night is not the best practice in our industry. When you do this, the water will sit for a long period of time, cooling slowly. While cooling slowly, it will absorb air and create a very poor quality of ice we call shale ice, like limestone rock that will break apart in your hand. In fact, by following this method of regularly dumping water on the goal crease, you have identified a reoccurring problem but have actually failed to adequately correct it. The industry's best practice to repair this area is to build ice in very thin layers. Use a small 2-gallon plastic weed sprayer to apply a mist to the goal crease area. This will allow the water mist to "snap" freeze instantly without trapping any air in the ice. Spray a couple of layers on one end and then move to the other end if needed. Repeat as necessary until the problem is corrected. This may take several nights to build up the ice to the proper thickness. If you build ice in this manner, it will create a more solid, dense sheet of ice that will stand up to the abuse the goal-crease area takes. Another thing to consider when talking about the goal-crease area is to make sure your ice resurfacer operators are trained to change up the resurface pattern. Do not hit the goal crease the exact same way each time. Vary the angle you cross the crease, or if possible, make sure you go over it only once each resurface by driving in front of it. The other thing to consider is to raise the blade as you go over the goal crease. This is the least desirable method but may help prevent inexperienced drivers from shaving out the goal crease. J ASK STAR You have rink questions, STAR has rink answers 42 / MAY.JUNE.2014 RINKMAGAZINE.COM RINK PHOTO Send your rink questions to: INFO@STARRINKS.COM A: Q: