Since 1997, the Orono Ice Arena has hosted a variety of programs, including the Orono Youth Hockey Association, Orono Boys and Girls High School Hockey, and numerous hockey camps, schools and clinics. The Orono Ice Arena was built in 1997 with private contributions from local residents. The arena sits on land owned by the Orono School District and that land is leased to the Orono Ice Arena, Inc. on a long term lease for $1 per year.

Orono Ice Arena, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is led by a board of directors. During the past year and a half the Arena board of directors turned over and a new board was put into place. The board is comprised of three members appointed by the Orono Youth Hockey Association, a member appointed by the Orono School Board, and a member appointed by the city council.

After 20 years of serving our children and local hockey community, the Orono Ice Arena and the Orono Youth Hockey Association have determined that it is time to for the local hockey community to make the following repairs and improvements to the facility:

• Shrink the Rink – reduce the size of the ice sheet from Olympic size to NHL size to ensure that Orono hockey players are playing, learning and practicing on the same type of rink as virtually all competing associations.

• Replace and Upgrade the Refrigeration and Dehumidification Systems. These systems are 20 years old and have required increasing amounts of maintenance in recent years. Prudence dictates that they be replaced.

• Improved Locker Room Facilities and Dryland Training Facilities. Orono does not have any shower facilities or sufficient bathroom facilities in the locker rooms, nor does Orono have space for dryland training and non-ice warm-up areas. By shrinking the rink and expanding the footprint of the facility, there will be room for both of these improvements.

Building Our Future Together
We appreciate those that have given so generously.  If you have not contributed please consider making a donation to join the community in supporting our rink. We need 100% participation at some level, so everyone that benefits from the rink is part of this legacy. If you have kids that utilize the arena, or have in the past, please help make this happen and pay it forward to the future hockey players in Orono. Each family’s circumstances are unique. We ask you to reflect on the generosity from the past and what your home rink means to the future of this community. No gift is too small or too large!  

Thank you for your consideration. Go Spartans!

Renovation Committee

Please reach out to us at arenainfo@oronohockey.org with questions or call Pete Eckerline, OIA Renovation Chair, at 612-867-8371.

The Orono Ice Arena Renovation Project fundraising effort is not associated with Orono High School or the Orono Foundation for Education.