UCSB’s hockey team has a game scheduled for 4:45 p.m. on Saturday. (John Dvorak/Presidio Sports File Photo)
Ice in Paradise has announced its grand opening will be this Saturday, October 10 with a day full of festivities at the new ice rink in Goleta.
It begins with a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for 1:15 p.m. that features special guests Luc Robitaille, an NHL Hall of Famer and L.A. Kings great, and Ed Snider, the owner of the Philadelphia Flyers and Santa Barbara resident.
There will be a figure-skating exhibition and a hockey game between the UCSB Gauchos and Cal Lutheran. The public will have a chance to try out the ice rink themselves during two public skating sessions at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
UCSB has had a consistent ice hockey team since 2009. A member of the National Collegiate Hockey Commission’s Southwestern League, the team has had to commute to the ice rink in Oxnard 2-3 times a week for practices and games. Ice in Paradise has an NHL regulation size rink and is just minutes from campus.
Alex Wood Doughty, a PhD student from Wisconsin who grew up playing ice hockey, is a team captain for the Gauchos.
“The opportunity for Ice Hockey at UCSB to build a more competitive program now exists, as does the opportunity for local enthusiasts of the sport to engage with and support their hometown team. Ice Hockey at UCSB is one of a limited number of California collegiate ice hockey teams. We are excited about having our local community come out and cheer us on,” Doughty said.
A local high school team, the Santa Barbara Royals, will have their home debut game on Saturday, October 17. The Royals are playing in the LA Kings High School League.
Ice in Paradise is located at 6985 Santa Felicia Drive in Goleta behind the Camino Real Shopping Center and next to Girsh Park.
SCHEDULE OF FESTIVITIES
1:15 pm
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with LA Kings great, Luc Robitaille & Philadelphia Flyers owner, Ed Snider, Mayor of Goleta, and Goleta Chamber of Commerce
1:45 pm
Ice Skating Exhibition – Main Rink
2:00 – 4:30 pm
Public Skating Session ($10 per person w/$2.50 skate rental) – Main Rink
4:45 pm
UCSB Hockey Exhibition Game – Main Rink
6:45 pm
Figure Skating Exhibition – Main Rink
7:30- 10:00 pm
Public Skating Session ($10 per person w/$2.50 skate rental) – Main Rink
