Game On: Steamboat Ice Pavilion fundraising campaign gains traction at summer event

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The Howelsen Ice Pavilion capital campaign was launched in June with a goal to raise $6 million by Jan. 31 so construction can begin on an expansion project to the existing Howelsen Ice Arena.

If the project is completed, the pavilion will offer an NHL-sized hockey rink with an additional smaller practice rink, larger locker rooms and a dryland workout area, among other things. The pavilion would be covered but have open air on three sides, with the fourth connecting to the southside of the existing arena.

On Saturday, the Howelsen Ice Pavilion team hosted the Game On event in the arena’s parking lot. Hundreds of young hockey players and their families came to play street hockey, enjoy food off the grill and explore new ways to get involved with the capital campaign.

“The purpose of this event is to raise awareness for raising money for the second sheet,” said Ryan Dingle, Steamboat Springs Youth Hockey Association Director. “We are bringing all three entities together — Steamboat Skating Club, Steamboat Curling and adult and youth hockey.”

Dingle explained that this time of year brings more pressure behind the scenes in the hockey, figure skating and curling worlds than one might expect. The clubs have to set up programming for the year at a time where most people are not thinking about ice sports.

Dingle said he had hoped that the Game On event would bring the ice sport community back together before things really start back up again. It featured a carnival-themed atmosphere with a dunk tank, bounce house, shaved ice and a beer garden called the ‘Sin Bin,’ a nod to a nickname for the penalty box in hockey.

To spice things up even more, the three Steamboat entities teamed up with the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Champions, who provided street hockey balls and sticks for all the youngsters to play with.

Howelsen Ice Arena partnered with the Colorado Avalanche to host Game On, an outdoor hockey event designed to bring awareness to the Howelsen Ice Pavilion capital campaign while also brining the hockey community together on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023. Tom Skulski/Steamboat Pilot & Today

Game On day in the Howelsen Ice Arena parking lot featured a small outdoor street hockey rink for young athletes to practice their skills with sticks and balls provided by the Colorado Avalanche organization on Saturday.Tom Skulski/Steamboat Pilot & Today

Game On day at Howelsen Ice Arena featured a dunk tank, bounce house, shaved ice, a small outdoor street hockey rink and more. Tom Skulski/Steamboat Pilot & Today

A young Steamboat hockey player sports his Colorado Avalanche jersey while playing street hockey.Tom Skulski/Steamboat Pilot & Today

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“We partnered with the Colorado Avalanche,” Dingle said. “They came up and have this Game On event, which is to get people involved in the hockey world that aren’t necessarily involved in it already.”

Cal Bridgewater, a 7-year-old hockey player in town, was excited to be part of an event hosted by his favorite NHL team. This winter will be his second season of competitive hockey, and he said Game On has him more energized than ever to get back on the ice.

Bridgewater said he is excited to continue learning hockey at the new Howelsen Ice Pavilion and hopes it encourages other young athletes to pursue the sport.

“Having this community combined with the hockey community, building another rink would be really good,” Bridgewater said. “We have a lot of hockey people who play, and two rinks would be really good. On days when the rink is used, the other rink will be open for practice, free skate and stuff like that.”

To reach Tom Skulski, call 970-871-4240, email [email protected].

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