The ice has been reimplemented in the Access Communications Centre with a full return to hockey and winter sports scheduled for the fall. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Ice is Back

Ice returns to Access Communications Centre

Aug 11, 2021 | 4:17 PM

As August treads towards its midway mark and the hockey season nears ever-closer, ice has returned to the Access Communications Centre.

Building supervisor, Mike Lepp said the ice making process at the local rink began just over 10 days ago ahead of the August long weekend.

“We fired [the ice plant] up last Friday (Aug. 30) and then have been making it go ever since,” he said. “We put in a new controller last year, so we’ve had a bit of a learning curve with it but things are looking good now and on schedule.”

As a Battlefords local originally, Lepp knows first-hand the impact hockey has in the community. He said after last season’s cancellation it will be good to see a return of the sport this fall.

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“It’s nice to see, and especially after this pandemic, to get things up and going again and for this community to get the North Stars back,” he said. “It’s something I think everybody’s looking forward to, having everyone back in the rink and watching hockey once again.”

Participants in the North Stars Hockey School next week will be among the first to use the ice this year. The Stars Hockey School will run for two weeks, Aug. 16 to 20 and Aug. 23 to 27 in the community. For more information or to register, email the North Stars at office@northstars.ca.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1