Every season, the home of the MSU hockey team experiences daily abuse from razor sharp skates, scorching pucks, slashing sticks and flying bodies. So it’s no surprise that after a full year of action, Munn Ice Arena is ready for its annual makeover. The $10,000 renovation on the 200-by-85-foot surface will be completed Thursday, giving the arena a fresh and rejuvenated look as it prepares for another grinding year.
“First impressions are important,” said arena manager Tom Campbell, who has been in charge of the annual renovation for the past 24 years. “Most rinks don’t do all this stuff every year but it’s definitely an important thing to do.”
The crew at Munn does more to preserve the quality of the arena than most schools because they want it to look great for the players and fans, MSU associate coach Brian Renfrew said.
“They do a great job with the upkeep of Munn,” he said. “It’s a great presentation for recruits and I don’t think there is another rink with a better presentation than ours.”
Here is a step-to-step guide to the renovation process:
Removing the ice
Over 10 miles of pipes, containing the chemical Freon, lay coiled under the floor of Munn Ice Arena.
The Freon that flows through the underground pipes is designed to keep the ice cold and regulate its temperature.
When Campbell and his staff are ready to start the renovation process, they take the Freon out of the pipes and transfer it into large compressors tucked away in the interior of Munn.
“It takes about three days for all of the ice to be melted,” Campbell said. “The warm outside temperature has a huge effect on the ice.”
Squeegees are used hourly to speed up the process by moving the standing water to allow the ice to melt faster.
Reconstructing the boards
After all the dings and dents, the boards need to be completely stripped down and rebuilt.
The layers of wood and plastic are removed and replaced with fresh new pieces. The new perimeter gives the puck a bigger, more consistent bounce.
Sitting 7 inches above the base of the ice is the kickplate, a small but crucial piece of plastic. Along with providing extra bounce for the puck, the kickplate also is used as a visual marker to maintain the proper thickness of the ice.
Most rinks use blue and yellow kickplates, but this color choice is not suitable for Campbell.
“Where the yellow and blue kickplates used to meet it looked like the University of Michigan,” he said.
Compressors
Comprised of more than 50 valves to regulate Freon temperatures and pressures, the compressors are the vital piece of equipment in ice making.
Most rinks don’t rebuild their compressors after every season, but Campbell has always stressed the importance of rebuilding them after every 6,000 hours.
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If the compressors aren’t in tip-top shape, it’s very likely the Freon won’t travel consistently through the pipes.
“If there is a breakdown during the year, you might have to move your home games elsewhere,” Campbell said. “Rebuilding the compressors has proven to be a good thing for us and in my 24 years here, we have never lost an hour of ice.”
The first layer
To prepare for the first thin layer of ice, Freon is pumped from the compressors back into the piping under the rink. As the Freon slowly makes its way across the rink, an eerie mist travels across the floor and leaves frost on the glass above the boards.
When frost forms on the ground, that indicates it’s time to get the hose and begin forming the thin base layer of ice.
Deionized water, or water that is mineral free, is heated to 200 degrees and is used because it will freeze quickly and won’t form molecular bonds that will slow the skater down.
“When minerals are in the water and you drag a (skate) blade across it, the minerals drag across the blade to create friction,” Campbell said. “Also, one of the good things is that it stays clear so you can see all the way down to the lines.”
A light mist is applied several times until the ice is a quarter inch thick.
Laying down the lines
Once the thin base of ice is down, it’s time to put the lines and circles in place.
Sixty gallons of white paint is misted down in numerous coats to make the line colors clearly shine through the ice.
Instead of using paint, Campbell uses vinyl lines because they are easier to put up and don’t bleed if a mistake is made.
“Paint is much more time consuming,” he said. “Plus you can get custom (vinyl) lines and do that fancy stuff that makes your rink look good.”
Afterward, another thin layer of ice is placed over the lines and circles, sealing them into place.
Flooding
Hot water is again used in the final process, as Campbell and his crew look to make the ice an inch and a quarter thick.
The water can be applied much thicker than before because the ice resurfacer can easily cure imperfections.
A total of 40,000 gallons of water are used in the flooding process, as it takes about five days to get the ice to the proper thickness for skating.
“It takes awhile because we have to be careful that we don’t use too much water because it will get under the vinyl,” Campbell said. “If water gets under the lines they could completely float up or get air bubbles under them.”
Regular season maintenance
The ice resurfacer is purposed to keep the ice fresh and at a proper thickness.
An 84-inch blade is attached to the back of the resurfacer to cut all the snow and high spots to ensure the ice is perfectly leveled.
Although it seems like an easy job, the driver has a lot to consider as he circles the ice after every hour the ice is used.
“You need to watch to see how deep you should set the blade because you can’t go too deep, and you need to know how much water to put back down,” said Bob Miller, who has been driving the resurfacer at Munn for over 30 years.
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