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I 18 / JULY.AUGUST.2017 USICERINKS.COM PHOTOS: MIKE DEARMOND Featured Rink Shakopee Ice Arena | | Shakopee, Minn. IN 1894, AT THE TIPTOP OF THE STATE, HALLOCK, MINNESOTA built the state's first indoor rink for a mere $400 (with skate sharpening costing customers just 35 cents). It was the first of many as Canadian immigrants brought their love for hockey when they came to mine the Iron Range, and the sport gave their kids something to do. With the passion and enthusiasm for ice sports so easily found within the State of Hockey's borders, you'd imagine a hockey rink on every corner—or at least as common as the 10,000 lakes the state also boasts. But in Shakopee, high school players didn't have a full-time place to practice until this year. The youth program had been growing for the past decade, with more kids trying in-house hockey and moving up to traveling teams, however, the old one-sheet facility didn't have enough ice time to go around. Players from Shakopee High School frequently had to practice elsewhere outside the Minneapolis-Saint Paul suburb. Now, thanks to the newly opened Shakopee Ice Arena, the boys' and girls' varsity and junior varsity teams have a full-time home. As arena manager Troy Ciernia notes, the youth hockey association rented only 900 hours per season at the old rink. They've now booked 1,400 for this upcoming winter on the arena's two sheets. "[I'm] just very excited to see where the hockey association [goes], and all these numbers that are going to come out," says Ciernia. "Opening in the middle of the year is tough [in December 2016]. You don't get the exposure that you would've if you opened right away, in September, October." Building Community Since the groundbreaking two years ago, Ciernia has helped guide the arena's construction. He grew up around ice rinks—his father worked in the industry for more than 40 years—and Ciernia first drove an ice resurfacer at age 11 or 12. Ciernia brought his rich experience running several Massachusetts rinks and the Willmar Civic Center Arena to Shakopee. He's happy about his role in firming up the plans for the new facility. "I've been in quite a few rinks in my life," Ciernia says. "So, just knowing what works and what doesn't work really helped out designing this building." For one, he took care to make the space's 89,000 square feet as user-friendly as possible. Groups can hold meetings in conference rooms. Athletes train in an upstairs dryland facility that a company called E>TRAIN runs. Players can improve their skating and shooting with a skating treadmill and plastic ice with boards and glass. High school teams even have their own locker rooms. The arena also boasts abundant storage. Unlike at the old facility, the youth hockey association now has a large room to stash jerseys and gear, and the Learn to Skate and figure skating programs have the same. A local figure skating group is starting to form as well. According to Ciernia, the HORSES RACE AT THE CITY'S WELL-VISITED CANTERBURY PARK. FAMILIES FLOCK TO VALLEYFAIR, WHICH IS THE LARGEST AMUSEMENT PARK IN THE UPPER MIDWEST. THE SHELL OF THE OLD ARENA WILL EVEN HOST A NEW INDOOR WATER PARK, OPENING IN JULY.