College Sports
A $25 million hockey rink could be coming to Northfield in 2026
“If all the parties didn’t see the need and work together to come to a solution, we’d still be trying to figure out what to do,” Bennett said. Tom Betti, a sports venue designer at JLG Architects, the architecture firm behind the new rink, pointed to a few benefits of its design. The arena will […]
“If all the parties didn’t see the need and work together to come to a solution, we’d still be trying to figure out what to do,” Bennett said.
Tom Betti, a sports venue designer at JLG Architects, the architecture firm behind the new rink, pointed to a few benefits of its design.
The arena will be energy efficient, with solar panels covering the roof. And its planned layout lends itself to events beyond hockey, like Northfield’s spring book fair.
Matt Hillmann, the superintendent of Northfield Public Schools, hopes the new facility draws more families to the district. Hillmann said the district, which serves about 3,900 students, risked losing scores of hockey players to schools with nicer rinks if Northfield didn’t improve its arena.
“Youth activities are something that are really important to people,” Hillmann said.
“And of course,” he added, “every student brings a certain amount of money with them. So it’s not just about recruiting new families, but it’s also about retaining the families that we have.”