While many ACHA teams are weeks into their 2024-25 seasons, both ACHA Division I and Division II Ohio hockey teams are just getting started. This is because there is no available ice to play on.
Named in honor of former football coach Ossian Clinton Bird, the arena was once a fieldhouse for indoor football, baseball and track practices. With his wife’s love of ice sports in mind, Ohio University President John Baker turned the facility into the Bird Arena in 1957.
Bird Arena has been the home of Ohio’s hockey teams since 1957. The historic building has seen generations of both ACHA and NCAA teams, but with all that history comes age and wear.
A 67-year-old facility is going to need maintenance to keep up with the required safety standards and overall modernity of other campus arenas. Maintenance on Bird was scheduled for this past summer, including new lighting, rubber flooring, painting work and updated locker rooms.
While working on all of these improvements, new issues arose in regard to the ice. A lot goes into keeping a sheet of ice, inside a building all year round, frozen. Below the ice is a thick layer of concrete and underneath that are pipes that help keep the ice frozen. These pipes are filled with refrigerant, but when there’s a leak it can be difficult to detect and fix.
“We did a lot of renovation this summer,” Bird Arena Assistant Director Ryan Finkle said. “This was something that was not in the scope of the renovation from the university.”
Finkle doesn’t have to go far to get help repairing his rink. To assist in the repairs of the leaking pipes, Finkle is working alongside the Russ College of Engineering and Technology.
“Luckily, we've been working in partnership with the engineering school to make sure we have all the information that we need,” Finkle said. “They have some thermal imaging, they have some radar and sonic detection that allows us to be more precise versus just walking around trying to find it with no clue.”
These issues have already had an impact on both Ohio hockey teams. The Division I team was forced to cancel their two-game series with Purdue Northwest last weekend. They later announced that this past weekend’s series with Kent State would take place at Kent State Ice Arena.
The D2 squad, on the other hand, has their season in full swing, regardless of the mechanical problems at Bird Arena. The team won its first five games, all on the road.
The Bobcats are staying ready, despite this hiccup and limited access to ice times. Both teams have made trips to South Carolina, West Virginia and Columbus to get access to rinks for practice. They have also been utilizing other Ohio Athletic facilities to stay ready, practicing at Walter Field House and Ping Recreation Center.
While nothing is for certain, Finkle believes that things are almost ready for the new season. Finkle hopes to have all the new renovations ready for the Division I team’s series with Utah the weekend of Oct. 11.
“Once we get the ice back in here, it should be nice, loud and rowdy on Friday and Saturday nights,” Finkle said.
