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"The Northfield community has always been a great place for families to live, it's a great place to retire and we've got won- derful schools," said Kennelly. "The one lag on the hockey side was the state of the arena, which was becoming a detriment to recruiting kids to play. We couldn't be a community of our size without an ice rink. The new arena really solidifies us for the long term." SOURCE OF SUSTAINABILITY While Hasse Ryt-Way Arena will support Northfield's ice sports community and serve as a driver for the local economic engine, hosting more tournaments than ever, including a planned Bantam State Tournament, it was also built with envi- ronmental sustainability in mind. As a LEED-certified facility, the new building will feature a solar panel energy system, energy-efficient heating and cooling sys- tems, advanced refrigeration technology, LED lighting, water conser vation mea- sures, electric ice resurfacers and more. These elements will help to advance the city 's sustainability goals, and also are expected to reduce long-term operating costs. "It 's another feather in the cap for Northfield," said Kennelly. "The most rewarding thing for me has been walk- ing the donors through the building and seeing the tears and the smiles and hear- ing comments like, 'we never thought we could have something like this here in Northfield.'" A MODEL INITIATIVE The efficacy of the Minnesota hockey model has been well-documented and proven to sustain and grow participation numbers while developing elite-level talent better than any other system in the country. The new arena in Northfield is another example of this model brought to life, providing a buoy to boost a growing community. "Everyone talks about the Minnesota model, how we're able to keep kids around playing through high school, keep costs down and have great competition through- out the state, and it would not be possible without community-owned rinks and communities coming together to make them thrive," said Kennelly. "Each town has a story of how their new facilities came together. We're so excited that our story became a reality and not just one that's being dreamed about." 14 M H J ON L I N E . C O M | N O V / D E C 2 0 2 6 "EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT THE MINNESOTA MODEL, HOW WE'RE ABLE TO KEEP KIDS AROUND PLAYING THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL, KEEP COSTS DOWN AND HAVE GREAT COMPETITION THROUGHOUT THE STATE, AND IT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT COMMUNITY-OWNED RINKS AND COMMUNITIES COMING TOGETHER TO MAKE THEM THRIVE." —Chris Kennelly, President, Northfield Hockey Association Local artist Michael Sweere created the beautiful tile mosaic centerpiece titled "Skating on the Cannon River." Photos / Jim Wellbrock, Northfield Hockey Association