Take a good, long look at that Olympic-sized ice sheet at 3M Arena at Mariucci this upcoming winter, because beginning in the 2023-24 Gophers men's hockey season, it will be smaller.
The University of Minnesota Board of Regents on Thursday approved a $14 million project that will downsize the Mariucci ice sheet from its current 100 feet wide by 200 feet long. Though final design details are forthcoming, the Gophers in 2014 indicated they'd explore a size of 92.5x200, which is closer to the 85x200 size that is the standard in the NHL.
The project, part of the university's capital improvement budget for the 2023 fiscal year, will require the lowering of the Mariucci floor and the addition of a row of seats at ice level to maintain proper sight lines. In addition, the ice-making and discontinued refrigerant systems at Mariucci and Ridder arenas will be replaced, Mariucci after the upcoming season and Ridder in the following offseason
www.startribune.com
