Hockey association celebrates upgraded rink

The Flathead Valley Hockey Association will hold a grand-opening ceremony for the upgraded Woodland Ice Rink at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29.

Volunteers have been working and fundraising over the past 18 months, and the end result is more than $500,000 in upgrades to the existing rink in Kalispell’s Woodland Park.

The challenge was to raise enough money to install a concrete surface and other amenities at the rink to extend the ice season for an extra month.

What started 10 years ago with a temporary hockey rink — built from the ground up each year with about 1,000 volunteer hours — has finally become a permanent feature for one of Kalispell’s most popular parks, Flathead Valley Hockey Association Board President Christy Eisinger said in a press release.

“It’s fitting as we celebrate 10 years,” she said. “This is just the infusion our hockey program needed to keep moving forward for our kids, adults and the community.”

With no taxpayer money available for the project, the hockey association decided that for the benefit and growth of its program, it needed to donate the revitalized, now permanent rink to Woodland Park and the community. All money was raised from foundations, corporate sponsors and individuals, with the bulk of the cost donated in sweat equity from association volunteers.

“A lot of people helped, but a small crew came to the rink night after night after night,” Shawn Baker, volunteer project manager said. “We saved close to $300,000 by doing the work ourselves — 137 people with more than 2,000 hours from August to early November.”

Having an uncovered outdoor rink for competitive hockey provides many challenges for these teams, but the new surface takes away one of the biggest hurdles of maintaining quality ice for a longer period of time, Eisinger said.

“Making the ice requires less energy now and with a little cooperation from Mother Nature, outdoor ice could become a reality from October to March,” she said. “As interest in hockey soars locally and nationwide, this is the perfect launch pad for expanding.”

The addition of this permanent surface also widens the use of the space throughout the year for other sports such as basketball and roller-skating.

“We are celebrating this big win, but we are definitely looking ahead for the next chapter of hockey in Kalispell,” said Sara Busse, association fundraising chairwoman. “We still need an additional $15,000 to pay all the bills and finish the season strong, but this gives us confidence to look to the future.”

The long-term goal is to have an indoor ice rink.

The Flathead Valley Hockey Association was formed 10 years ago to administer and manage youth hockey programs at the Woodland Ice Center. Steve and Genia Tartaglino, with Tony Clayton, purchased a used portable, refrigerated ice rink system. The city of Kalispell offered the old swimming pool site at Woodland Park, and the group took it from there.

Home to the Flathead Flames, the rink is heavily used by both adult and youth hockey teams, along with school groups and the Kalispell Parks and Recreation Department’s learn-to-skate program.

The season kick-off is the annual Craft Brewer’s Cup Dec. 1 to 3 at Woodland Ice Rink. This is the association’s biggest fundraiser. Gates open for the Brewfest at noon on Saturday. Admission is $25 and all games are free. Find the full schedule at www.crafterbrewershockeyleague.com

The foundation said major contributors to the ice rink upgrade included Eisinger Auto, Anderson’s Masonry, Western Building Center, Flathead Electric Cooperative and the Foley Family Charitable Foundation.

To help the association reach its fundraising goal, donate online at www.flatheadflames.org.