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Mariucci Arena renovations complete ahead of hockey season
The Gopher men’s hockey team will first practice on the ice Sept. 29 ahead of their season starting Oct. 8.
MINNEAPOLIS — Hockey fans can expect to see a new look at 3M Arena at Mariucci this season. A seven-month long $14 million renovation wrapped up this week. The biggest change? The rink.
Since 1993, the Gopher men’s hockey team put their rivals to the test with their large Olympic size sheet of ice. The team was one of the last in the country to hold onto this size in collegiate hockey.
“Everyone wants to get closer to a NHL ice size,” hockey facilities director, Craig Floor said.
Floor has been with the University of Minnesota athletics department for 26 years. He says discussions on replacing the ice started nearly a decade ago.
“I remember coach Don Lucia wanting to size down,” Floor said.
It’s a natural move as many who have worn the Maroon and Gold jerseys go on to play in the NHL.
“Was it an advantage? Yes. Was it a disadvantage? Yes,” Gopher head coach Bob Motzko said.
Why did the Gophers get the big ice in the first place?
It was a trend for rinks following the “Miracle on Ice” 1980 Olympics. After decades playing inside what is now known as the Sports Pavillion, Mariucci was built in 1993.
“What evolved over the years on the Olympic ice was more defense. Slow game,” Motzko said.
The smaller rink will increase the speed of play. Motzko says more offensive opportunities will lead to a more physical game, too.
“A casual fan may not notice the difference,” Floor said. “But Gopher hockey fans know.”
The new rink was slimmed down 16 inches to be 85 feet wide and 200 feet long. It made room for around 250 more seats in the arena, which sits roughly 10,000 people. The additional seats include a premium seating area near the boards. It has wider seats with some small tables next to them.
Don’t forget to look up.
The low-hanging lights have been replaced with a new LED light system that Floor says will improve the fan experience.
“We can make this rink look more like games at the Xcel Energy Center,” Floor said.
An update to the system that preserves the ice was needed, too. The refrigeration system was replaced, and Floor says it now also works inside Ridder Arena where the Gopher women’s hockey team plays. The arena will also be updated soon.
“I tell people to think about their fridge. If it’s 30 years old, then you probably need a new one. We needed a new one, ” Floor said.
The first game on the new ice will be played on Oct. 8 when the Gophers face off against Bemidji State University in an exhibition game.
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PRINCETON, Minn. — As many families fell on hard times due to hurricanes Helene and Milton, their pets have suffered too.
Ruff Start Rescue, headquartered in Princeton, Minn., rescued 24 animals from areas in Tennessee and North Carolina that were hit by hurricanes. Azure Davis, the founder and executive director, visited the KARE 11 studio to share more about these animals and how you can help.
For more information on Ruff Start Rescue and to look at adoptable animals, click here.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says 26-year-old Maleek Conley was indicted on 13 charges in a shooting that killed two and wounded two others on Dec. 3, 2023.
MINNEAPOLIS — The man accused in a shooting that killed two at a Minneapolis tobacco shop now faces two charges of first-degree murder after being indicted by a Hennepin County grand jury.
Maleek Jabril Conley, 26, was already charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the shooting that occurred on Dec. 3, 2023. An employee of Royal Cigar & Tobacco in Dinkytown told responding Minneapolis police officers that a verbal altercation involving a group of men escalated into a fistfight and then gunfire.
Two men, identified as Jamartre Sanders and Bryson Haskell, were killed in the shooting. Two others were shot but survived. Conley was later identified as the gunman by surveillance video.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Friday that a grand jury indicted Conley on 13 charges related to the tobacco store shooting, including first-degree premeditated murder, two counts of first-degree premeditated attempted murder, four counts of second-degree intentional murder, two counts of attempted second-degree intentional murder, and one count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.
“This was a brutal crime,” Moriarty said in a released statement. “Mr. Conley fired at the victims at close range, killing two people and wounding two others. I am grateful for the service of the grand jury in moving us closer to appropriate accountability for Mr. Conley’s shocking conduct.”
Conley remains in custody at the Hennepin County jail.
The recall of yellow onions from Taylor Farms comes after an outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.
COLORADO, USA — A food service supplier has issued a recall for onions from a Colorado Springs Taylor Farms facility due to possible E. coli contamination, according to a letter provided to 9NEWS by the restaurant chain Illegal Pete’s.
The move by US Foods comes after an outbreak of E. coli that has sickened dozens of people and is blamed for the death of one person in Mesa County. According to health officials, it has been linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. The outbreak’s exact source is unknown, but the focus has been on slivered onions and the beef patties specifically used by the chain for those burgers.
McDonald’s has stopped serving the burgers.
The letter sent on Wednesday from US Food urged its customers, including Illegal Pete’s to immediately stop using the affected products.
RELATED: Food safety attorney: Lawsuits coming against McDonald’s following Colorado E. coli outbreak
It indicated that the products included were yellow onions from Taylor Farms that were either whole or diced. The recalled onions came from a Taylor Farms facility in Colorado, a U.S. Foods spokesperson said.
In a statement, Illegal Pete’s said they’re taking the issue seriously and are following all of the instructions in the letter.
They also noted that they don’t use a diced/ sliced white onion product that has been identified as a possible source of E. coli. The company said Taylor Farms issued a blanket recall from a certain lots.
The Centers for Disease Control said as of Tuesday that 49 people in 10 states have gotten sick, including 26 illnesses and one death in Colorado. Nine people have been sickened in Nebraska.
At least 10 of Colorado’s cases were reported in Mesa County in western Colorado, according to the county health department spokeswoman.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said the 26 people who have gotten sick in Colorado live in nine counties: Arapahoe, Chaffee, El Paso, Gunnison, Larimer, Mesa, Routt, Teller and Weld. They did not necessarily eat at McDonald’s locations in the counties where they live, the health department said.
The CDC said 10 people across the affected states have been hospitalized. The outbreak also includes a child hospitalized with severe kidney complications.
Everyone interviewed said they ate at McDonald’s before getting sick and specifically mentioned eating a Quarter Pounder hamburger, according to the CDC. The agency said infections were reported between Sept. 27 and Oct. 11.
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