River Lakes Hockey Inc

River Lakes Hockey is an organization dedicated to youth hockey serving the communities of Albany, Avon, Belgrade, Brooten, Cold Spring, Eden Valley, New London, Paynesville, Richmond, Rockville, Spicer, St. John's Prep,  and Watkins. 

Our goal is to create positive lifelong experiences in a safe & fair environment that allows each participant to do their best. 

Our mission is to be the area’s leading youth-centered sports organization by creating as many opportunities for play as possible and building athletes for life, guided by the developmentally appropriate framework of the American Development Model.

Our values are:

• Fun: Enjoyment, participation and friendship. 
• Sportsmanship: Respecting teammates, competitors, coaches, officials and parents. 
• Teamwork: Working together to achieve the desired goal by putting the needs of the team before self. 
• Skill Development: Allowing each player to grow their hockey skills by using the best teaching and coaching the association is capable of providing. 
• Open Communication: Transparency and collaboration emphasizing participation by all. 
• Youth Centered: Every action is focused on the best interests of all players.

River Lakes Hockey Association is graciously requesting capital funds to purchase an additional dehumidifier for the Koronis Ice Arena located in Paynesville. The total cost has been quoted as $75,000, and we are seeking multiple funding avenues to meet this expense. 

Humidity is currently the primary challenge for maintaining air and ice quality. The current system is inadequate to maintain modern air quality standards and high-quality ice at the same time in a building this large. Excess humidity causes problems throughout the arena. The most dangerous effect is that the resulting drips from condensation create an uneven playing surface that is a potential hazard to skaters. In addition, this condensation causes damage to other portions of the facility resulting in increased maintenance costs.

The association has worked tirelessly in recent seasons to mitigate these negative impacts. These include building upgrades such as additional insulation, roof repairs, and new tin around the building. Our arena staff has also taken to laying tarps over the ice surface overnight during periods of high humidity to catch some of the dripping condensation. However, these efforts cannot address the underlying humidity problems.

An additional dehumidifier at the Koronis rink will allow us to better control the interior environment. This will result in a substantial improvement to ice and air quality throughout our season, and it will be a wonderful benefit for the hundreds of skaters we serve. Further, the ability to address underlying humidity issues will allow us to put ice in earlier and keep it later in the season. This will help reduce travel time and costs for all of the skaters in our area, as most of our skaters currently drive a considerable distance for access to off-season ice.

These donations will help us keep our doors open to over 200 area kids and their families who love hockey without compromising on their experiences. We hope you will consider being a donor to River Lakes Hockey and we deeply appreciate any support offered. Thank you!