Academie Ste. Cecile looking to build NHL-sized rink

A Windsor private school is hoping to build an NHL-sized ice rink to help their hockey team train. CTV Windsor’s Bob Bellacicco has the details.

Academie Ste. Cecile is looking to score an ice rink to help their hockey program compete against prep schools in the U.S. and Canada.

“We want to kind of be like the rest of our brothers and have one as well,” said athletic director Robb Serviss.

The school is preparing to add an NHL-sized hockey rink to its main building.

“With recruitment, it’s a huge sell to say, hey, you’re going to be able to live, eat, study and play hockey all on campus,” Serviss said.

The proposal, which is expected to cost between $6 million to $8 million, was given the green light Monday night by the city’s Development and Heritage Standing Committee. Because the school is a heritage building, brick work on the arena will have to match the existing building to the tune of close to $350,000.

Administration agreed to compromise on the amount of brick work, with details to come.

“There’s going to be some brickwork on this,” said city councillor Jim Morrison who is the chair of the committee. “It’s set back in an area that really won’t be really totally visible so it’s going to stand out as something that you would say, what the heck is that, from the road.”

The new facility will have student seating, video streaming capabilities and a new weight room. Locker rooms are currently being built in the original building which will see players walk through a short tunnel to the ice surface.

“It’s really a game changer when you see the schools that we play, whether it’s Ridley College, Upper Canada College, Appleby,” Serviss said.

The Stallions play in the Midwest Prep Hockey League where they finished first in their division in their second year of play. Because they use city rinks ice time for night games is scarce to non-existent forcing Academie Ste. Cecile to mainly be a travel team.

“It’s definitely going to open up doors for us to attract schools here. I’m busy right now. Also with, Detroit Catholic Central and Brother Rice to play a home and away next year. So, it’s really exciting.” Serviss said.

The addition could be done as early as next spring and will free up 25 hours of city ice.

“I think you’ll see other groups will move in because there are other schools that are using ice during the day, so, I, I assume that it won’t leave more ice open. It’ll just give more opportunities for other organizations,” Morrison told CTV News.

The project will go before council in early May. If approved, work could begin this fall.