College Sports

SCSU’s Herb Brooks hockey center gets $12.8M from state for upgrades

ST. CLOUD — St. Cloud State’s Herb Brooks National Hockey Center got a big break this week. After more than six years of asking for state funding to get a new refrigeration system for the arena’s two ice rinks, the state Legislature passed an estimated $12.8 million in funding late Monday, June 9, for a […]

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ST. CLOUD — St. Cloud State’s Herb Brooks National Hockey Center got a big break this week.

After more than six years of asking for state funding to get a new refrigeration system for the arena’s two ice rinks, the state Legislature passed an estimated $12.8 million in funding late Monday, June 9, for a replacement. The original and outdated R-22 system was originally installed when the building opened in 1989.

SCSU Hockey R-22 Refrigeration System
A look at the original R-22 refrigeration system inside St. Cloud State’s Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. The system was installed when the building opened in 1989.

Contributed / Dan Wolgamott

“We’ll take it,” SCSU Athletic Director Holly Schreiner told St. Cloud LIVE. “It’s been a long process to get here.”

The R-22 system that the Brooks Center uses has been getting phased out in the U.S. for the last 18 years because it contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer. The Herb Brooks National Hockey Center uses between 11,000-12,000 pounds of R-22 that helps cool the cement floors of two Olympic-sized sheets of ice through a direct refrigeration system.

State Sen. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, told St. Cloud LIVE how relieved he was to get the legislation passed.

“I’ve been a part of this for three years, and I’ve really been pushing this,” Wolgamott said on Tuesday, June 10. “We had reached a crisis point with the old system. The R-22 system currently in place uses chemicals that were banned in the Clean Air Act of 2007. It’s ridiculous that it’s taken this long. If that system had gone out, it would have affected three college hockey teams, but so many youth and high school players as well.

“The Herb is a local staple for hockey players and fans. I’m so grateful to say that a new system is coming.”

Refrigeration is a key for any ice rink.

Rink manager Cory Portner said in November 2023

that he was struggling to find pieces, parts and components needed to keep the old R-22 system functioning.

“(Our system) has been phased, no longer manufactures components that use our (system). So, we’re at the mercy of the market,” Portner said.

“Our refrigeration mechanics have been keeping this thing kind of going for well beyond its lifespan, in my opinion,” he continued. Portner said that 20 or 25 years is a good lifespan, and that “Thirty (years), you should be doing happy dances, so we’re rolling on 30-plus years.”

The university made a similar request with a price tag of $8.5 million in 2019, and the project would also include getting new boards, Plexiglas, lighting and improved humidity control. As a part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, St. Cloud State makes its capital requests through the system to the Minnesota state Legislature.

The construction plan would include turning the Brooks Center’s practice rink into an NHL-sized rink, which is 200 feet long by 85 feet wide. Both ice sheets at the Brooks Center are currently Olympic-sized, which is 200-by-100. The project would also include making the main rink more of a hybrid, making it about 97 feet wide.

While the

St. Cloud State

men’s and women’s hockey teams are the top tenants for the Brooks Center, there are many regular users for the facility.

St. John’s University

, an NCAA Division III team, also practices and plays its home games there.

The St. Cloud Youth Hockey Association rents more than 600 hours of ice time at the Brooks Center annually. The arena also plays host to 10 camps during the offseason, which keeps the facility in use year-round.

Schreiner was admittedly surprised when she heard the news of the bill passing earlier this week.

Holly Schreiner

Contributed / St. Cloud State University

“I can’t tell you how excited I am about this,” Schreiner said. “We’ve worked for years to get it across the finish line. It’s just taken so long. I felt like we might get let down again. This is good for the university and the hockey community in St. Cloud. I’m grateful to Dan, (St. Cloud State director of university relations) Bernie Omann and every politician that worked on this together.”

Schreiner said work on the project won’t begin until next spring, at the earliest. Schreiner was already setting up meetings for this week to get the project moving, but a lot of paperwork needs to happen first.

“There are different aspects to any replacement, renovation or construction project in the state university system,” Schreiner said. “First, we have to see the official amount we’re getting and see what we can and can’t do within that budget. We have to start with the Request for Proposal process, and that takes time. We’ll do the research, select a bid and order the product.

A look at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on the campus of St. Cloud State University.

Andy Rennecke / St. Cloud LIVE

“The best-case scenario is that we could get it replaced after next hockey season. It might be delayed until April 2027 if things get slowed up. The fact that this is happening in mid-June instead of at the end of June is a big win for us. At least we’re starting the conversations about how to begin.”

Wolgamott credited “a good bipartisan negotiation” for getting the bill passed.

“St. Cloud State hockey is such an important part of our community for so many reasons,” Wolgamott said. “It’s part of who we are in St. Cloud. The National Hockey Center and that system has seen the wear and tear (since 1989). The NCHC had gone to the university asking them to do something about this. It’s not safe for so many reasons. This is our job as state legislators.”

Asked if he’s concerned about St. Cloud State’s infrastructure as a whole, Wolgamott acknowledged it’s reaching “a crisis point.” He’s making it one of his top priorities to help St. Cloud State get back on track financially, while also acknowledging that the state owns the buildings on campus and that many of them fall into disrepair.

“The health and well-being of SCSU directly affects the St. Cloud community. I feel like we have momentum to get St. Cloud State back on its feet,” Wolgamot said. “The MnSCU system is asking for $25 million in one-time money for demolition of old buildings, including at SCSU. We weren’t able to get that in the budget this year.

“To me, demolition is not a negative thing. It’s all about right-sizing these campuses. The college experience has changed. We don’t need these huge buildings and footprints in the 21st century. At SCSU, demolition means opening up green space and cutting down costs with the maintenance of these dorms and buildings. SCSU is at the top of the list for that in the near future.”

St. Cloud LIVE sports reporter Mick Hatten contributed to this report.

St. Cloud State men’s hockey players give a stick salute to fans after the annual Red/Black intrasquad scrimmage that was held on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

Abi Semanko / SCSU Athletics





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