Hockey players were back on the ice at the Rocky Lake Dome Thursday night after more than 20 incisions were cut into the vinyl sides of the rink causing it to partially deflate.
“Someone came in overnight last night and slit some holes in the side of the dome,” said rink operator Jamie Straughan.
Around 8:30 a.m. Thursday, a RCMP officer observed the rink partially deflated. Rink manager Gary Hines arrived about an hour later and found not only the slit to the sides but also that the power to the inflation device was turned off.
He said the dome’s backup generator could not compensate for the amount of air being lost.
Straughan said all the florescent lights hanging from the ceiling of the dome had descended onto the ice by the morning, but nothing was broken.
“It just looks ugly,” he said, alluding to the vinyl patchwork.
An electrician is being brought in to conceal the dome’s power switch, which was easily accessible on the dome’s exterior before Thursday.
Straughan said every hole should be fixed by sometime Friday afternoon. He said the cost of the damage is about $7,000.
The dome does not have any sort of fencing, video surveillance or security, and that isn’t about to change, said Straughan.
“It’s for the kids. You want to make it as inviting as you can,” he said. “It’s built by the community.”
