It’s beginning to feel a lot like winter inside of Allen Event Center! That’s right, hockey season is just around the corner which means it’s going down – literally. Crews over at Allen Event Center began the ice build this past Saturday to gear up for the 2015-2016 Allen Americans hockey season. Other on-ice events held at Allen Event Center include the annual Pinktoberfest Hockey Tournament and Disney On Ice. Around 13,000 gallons of water is used to create the one-inch thick skate surface which make it possible for the Allen Americans to make another run for the ECHL title.
Ask any of the building crew and they’ll tell you, building the ice is no easy task. No less than a dozen stages go into building the skating surface each year and that’s not even including the paint. During this process, the building temperature is set to 60 degrees and the concrete slab floor is gradually chilled somewhere between 22-27 degrees. Did you know that there is approximately 11 miles of piping that run under Allen Event Center’s concrete floor? These steel pipes are pumped with freezing brinewater which allow for the ice to expand or shrink. Each layer of ice is carefully set individually to insure the ideal thickness.
The next step entails meticulously spray “painting” on extremely thin layers of water. After four layers of water, the floor had a glossy sheen of which any window washer would be proud. Water is then mixed with a white non-toxic, biodegradable powder paint which was sprayed on in five layers and immediately frozen to the floor. After the fine sprays of water and paint were down the technicians hand painted the hockey lines and the award-winning Allen Americans logo. These painstaking steps take approximately 12 hours to complete. Last but not least, the Zamboni applies the final layer of water dropping approximately 10,000 gallons over several hours to create the one-inch thick playing surface.
Impress your friends with your knowledge at the next Allen Americans game you attend. For more information on upcoming Allen Americans games and other on-ice events, visit our event calendar.