The first practice in the building was Dec. 6.
In the 24 days since, the Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team has done its best to make Amsoil Arena feel like home.
Today the Bulldogs get some help as a crowd of 6,732 takes in the grandeur of opening night for the $60 million rink. Amid an evening of historical videos, ceremonial puck presentations and welcoming speeches, UMD and North Dakota meet under the bright lights in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game.
Two of the top teams in Division I faceoff at 7:37 p.m. It is UMD's first home game since ending its tenure at the DECC Arena on Dec. 4 with a 2-1 win over Denver. The DECC Arena debuted Nov. 19, 1966 as UMD beat Minnesota 8-1.
"The DECC opened with a win (in 1966) and closed with a win, and there's no better way to open this building than two have two great teams playing a meaningful game," said junior winger Mike Connolly, UMD's goal-scoring leader.
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"It's our rink and our job is to make it tough for other teams coming in here. I'm sure when the building is sold out and everyone's cheering for us, it will seem like home. The only way for our team to enjoy the first game is with a win."
The No. 2-ranked Bulldogs (12-3-3) have made the transition from the 45-year-old DECC Arena, taking carts of equipment down a hall, through Paulucci Hall and along a tunnel into the new building. They've settled into a new locker room, training room and weight room.
The playing surface is considerably better lit than the DECC, the players claim the ice is noticeably better and the corners of the rink are more shallow. The rink dimensions are different. After earning a bit of a psychological advantage with a DECC rink 10 feet shorter than most, Amsoil Arena matches the NHL standard of 200 feet long and 85 feet wide.
"Every day you go to the rink it feels better, the building feels more like ours," said senior winger Justin Fontaine. "It's a nice change and we can't wait to see what it's like with our fans in here."
There will be a bit of a wait on opening night, with the game time pushed back a half hour to handle the festivities. The doors open at
6 p.m. and the teams start warm ups at 6:55. A video on the DECC's history and the construction of Amsoil Arena is set for 7:10. An array of speakers starts at 7:20 with Minnesota Gov.-elect Mark Dayton, DECC board chairman Mark Emmel, Amsoil founder Al Amatuzio, Duluth Mayor Don Ness, UMD Chancellor Lendley Black and Lt. Gov.-elect Yvonne Prettner Solon.
Team introductions and the National Anthem will be followed by a ceremonial puck dropped by former UMD star center Keith "Huffer" Christiansen and former North Dakota star goalie Mike "Lefty" Curran, an International Falls native representing the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. A second puck will be dropped by Dayton and Ness.
Then, the game begins for real. And a building, which had ground broken April 8, 2009, will be officially christened.
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"Our feel for the building has changed each week we've been here," said UMD senior captain Mike Montgomery. "It's home, but after we break it in with a few games, and hang out in the locker room and the players lounge, it will be much more like home. We'll start a new tradition."
North Dakota will be the opponent for a second rink opening this season. Bemidji State opened the Sanford Center on Oct. 15 with North Dakota winning 5-2 in Bemidji.
UMD was the opponent when North Dakota closed the old Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D., on March 11, 2001. North Dakota and coach Dean Blais clinched a Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff series with a 4-0 victory.
UMD coach Scott Sandelin played at the DECC Arena as a
Hibbing High School player and North Dakota defenseman, and coached in the building as a North Dakota assistant and for 10½ years in leading the Bulldogs, and now looks to the future.
"We had a great, unique older building with a great atmosphere and we hope to carry that over to the new rink," said Sandelin.
