Construction Nearly Complete at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center
The Herb Brooks National Hockey has undergone substantial upgrades since the season ended. St. Cloud State University Athletic Director Holly Schreiner joined me on WJON. She says the goal date for substantial completion is Friday, September 4. Schreiner says they are technically on schedule waiting for a few adjustments to come in today and tomorrow. She expects completion to take place either late this week or next week. Schreiner is hopeful that they will get their student athletes back into the facility as soon as possible.
Replacing Chiller
St. Cloud State had to replace their 40-year old chiller and shrink their ice sheet from Olympic size to what is standard in college hockey arenas throughout the country which includes their practice sheet. Schreiner says when fans enter the arena they won't notice much in regards to changes other than a smaller ice sheet. She says as soon as the season ended in March of this year, the construction of the arena got underway.
Smaller Sheet of Ice
Schreiner says the smaller sheet of ice will work better for the University and the hockey teams. She says SCSU was one of the last division I programs to have the Olympic size sheet of ice. Schreiner is excited for the season to start as tickets are on sale now. The Husky men's hockey team is set to open the season at Bemidji State on October 3 with their home opener on October 9 against Michigan Tech. The SCSU women's hockey team will play their first game at the Herb on October 23 against Bemidji State.
Night with the Huskies
St. Cloud State is hosting Night with the Huskies on Saturday, September 26. It is a fundraiser for student athlete scholarships. The athletes will be serving the food to the people in attendance along with mingling with them. Schreiner says following the dinner, there will be a silent auction and a live auction, there will be a program and a concert with the band Mallrats performing. People can buy tickets to the dinner or the concert at Atwood Memorial Center. Schreiner says many of their athletes do not receive financial assistance to play sports at SCSU and due the expectations put on them, it's hard for them to hold a part-time job.
If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Holly Schreiner, click below.