A clean hockey rink is important for any hockey game. For the FISU 2023 Winter games, there is no difference.The Roos house in SUNY Canton is one of three arenas in St. Lawrence Country which hosted the preliminary FISU men’s and women’s ice hockey matches. In order for the players to compete at a high level, they understood the importance of doing whatever they could to host hockey at their facility.“We’re taking care of the ice, we have crew cleaning the bleachers,” said SUNY Canton’s Manager of Facilities, Matthew Garman. “We’re on the world stage right now, and my crew is doing a great job of making sure the place is clean and we’re putting out a great product.”One of Garman’s main tasks in his job is to not only clean the stands, but also make sure the ice is at peak competition shape. He knows that entails not just shaving the ice, but using other tools, such as a drill to add water and checking for a proper ice thickness between 1-1.25 in. “People think you’re just driving the Zamboni around,” Garman said. “We got to take ice measurements, making sure our crew is keeping ice at the right temperature.”Garman still knows the importance of what a Zamboni can do to create quality ice. He started as a Zamboni driver at SUNY Canton before the promotion to his new role but has great trust in his crew of Facilities Operator Assistants (FOA). Matthew Antwine is one FOA at SUNY Canton, who has been driving the Zamboni during FISU preliminary matches. He’s someone who knows all the important tips and tricks to make the ice smooth. “Your hands are always moving,” Antwine said. “You’re on a sheet of ice that’s slippery, you can’t put too much water down, you can’t put too little water down … nice sharp blade on the Zamboni, make sure it’s all mechanically sound … you got to do it just right. Otherwise, the players don’t like it.”Thankfully, Antwine did a good job. He’s received a lot of positive reviews from the athletes competing at SUNY Canton. “They haven’t complained,” Antwine said. “They said it’s great ice, so I feel pretty good about that.”SUNY Potsdam hosted the FISU women’s ice hockey matches, while SUNY Canton and Clarkson hosted the men’s ice hockey games. While Garman and his staff haven’t directly affected the ice at the two other rinks, they understand the significance for all the schools in St. Lawrence County to present a quality product during the international sporting event. “We’re all members of the community,” Garman said. “It looks good on us as a whole if we are all putting out this great product,”The players in this year’s preliminary competition have emphasized that all three rinks have stepped up to the task. “Definitely very grateful for them,” said Team USA Women’s Ice Hockey player Erin McCardle. “They’ve done a great job, they’re all very nice, very accommodating.”“It’s unreal,” said Czech Republic Men’s Ice Hockey player Tomáš Hyka. “I’ve never seen anything like that … I’ve never seen a facility like that, it’s perfect.”The final days of FISU hockey will continue in Lake Placid, as the men’s and women’s gold and medal games will take place at the Herb Brooks Arena on Saturday, Jan. 21 and Sunday, Jan. 22.
A clean hockey rink is important for any hockey game. For the FISU 2023 Winter games, there is no difference.
The Roos house in SUNY Canton is one of three arenas in St. Lawrence Country which hosted the preliminary FISU men’s and women’s ice hockey matches. In order for the players to compete at a high level, they understood the importance of doing whatever they could to host hockey at their facility.
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“We’re taking care of the ice, we have crew cleaning the bleachers,” said SUNY Canton’s Manager of Facilities, Matthew Garman. “We’re on the world stage right now, and my crew is doing a great job of making sure the place is clean and we’re putting out a great product.”
One of Garman’s main tasks in his job is to not only clean the stands, but also make sure the ice is at peak competition shape. He knows that entails not just shaving the ice, but using other tools, such as a drill to add water and checking for a proper ice thickness between 1-1.25 in.
“People think you’re just driving the Zamboni around,” Garman said. “We got to take ice measurements, making sure our crew is keeping ice at the right temperature.”
Garman still knows the importance of what a Zamboni can do to create quality ice. He started as a Zamboni driver at SUNY Canton before the promotion to his new role but has great trust in his crew of Facilities Operator Assistants (FOA).
Matthew Antwine is one FOA at SUNY Canton, who has been driving the Zamboni during FISU preliminary matches. He’s someone who knows all the important tips and tricks to make the ice smooth.
“Your hands are always moving,” Antwine said. “You’re on a sheet of ice that’s slippery, you can’t put too much water down, you can’t put too little water down … nice sharp blade on the Zamboni, make sure it’s all mechanically sound … you got to do it just right. Otherwise, the players don’t like it.”
Thankfully, Antwine did a good job. He’s received a lot of positive reviews from the athletes competing at SUNY Canton.
“They haven’t complained,” Antwine said. “They said it’s great ice, so I feel pretty good about that.”
SUNY Potsdam hosted the FISU women’s ice hockey matches, while SUNY Canton and Clarkson hosted the men’s ice hockey games. While Garman and his staff haven’t directly affected the ice at the two other rinks, they understand the significance for all the schools in St. Lawrence County to present a quality product during the international sporting event.
“We’re all members of the community,” Garman said. “It looks good on us as a whole if we are all putting out this great product,”
The players in this year’s preliminary competition have emphasized that all three rinks have stepped up to the task.
“Definitely very grateful for them,” said Team USA Women’s Ice Hockey player Erin McCardle. “They’ve done a great job, they’re all very nice, very accommodating.”
“It’s unreal,” said Czech Republic Men’s Ice Hockey player Tomáš Hyka. “I’ve never seen anything like that … I’ve never seen a facility like that, it’s perfect.”
The final days of FISU hockey will continue in Lake Placid, as the men’s and women’s gold and medal games will take place at the Herb Brooks Arena on Saturday, Jan. 21 and Sunday, Jan. 22.
