Hi All,
In this week’s announcements you may have noticed that the ice crew will flood the ice
after Thanksgiving. The announcements mentioned “issues with the ice” that can only
be solved with a flood.
So, what are those issues?
I’m glad you asked. I am very impressed with our ice crew’s attention to detail. I have
had a few members of the crew bring some issues to my attention. Recently during a
scrape, we had a blade dig into the ice and create a gouge. While this is not a common
occurrence, it does happen from time to time. The crew repaired the gouge quickly and
the repair does not affect the way the ice plays. Secondly, we have been experiencing
damage to the hack holes. The ice crew has been repairing that damage regularly and
have been keeping the hacks secure. The biggest issue that we have is that we have
developed some “W’s” or gull wings in the ice. This happens from time to time and is not
uncommon whatsoever. This phenomenon is a result of buildup of pebble along certain
areas of the ice. While these gull wings are very minor right now, if not addressed they
will just continue to get worse. So, since we have some time, we decided to flood.
So, how can we prevent gull wings from developing?
Again, I’m glad you asked. The buildup of pebble between sheets and along the boards
may be the leading cause of developing gull wings. While our scrape teams work to
minimize that buildup, it still occurs. Proper nipping will help to minimize the
development of gull wings.
1. When nipping the outside of the sheets DO NOT nip all the way to the edge.
Keep the nipper 6”-8” off the boards and inside the divider lines. Buildup of
pebble in these areas microscopically lift the outside edge of the nipper blade.
Over time this will develop the gull wings.
2. Bring the nipper down to the warm room end when pebbling begins on sheet
one. Bringing the nipper on the ice sooner will allow the blades to melt into the
ice and create small but noticeable gouges.
3. Start in the middle of sheet one and always make you first turn away from the
next sheet to be nipped. DO NOT nip beyond the back lines! We want to
preserve as much pebble as possible outside of the play area.
If you have any questions about nipping or any other part of ice prep please don’t
hesitate to ask me or any other member of the ice crew.
Phil Bruce
