Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, is a repeat conference winner in men’s ice hockey, and an NCAA national champion. Bowling Green Ice Arena, now known as the Slater Family Ice Arena, has been serving the University and local communities since 1967. Although a beloved landmark in the area, the Arena was aged, lacked amenities, and required a new ice refrigeration system. Another concern that needed to be addressed was its second ice sheet which was considered far too small to utilize for college hockey practice.
JLG worked with Bowling Green in 2017 to identify opportunities to not only add more toilets and concessions, but private suites, increased seating, improved lobby and public areas, and even a student-athlete training center. JLG also worked with stakeholders to identify their specific goals, developing a series of ranked choices and costs so that BGSU could choose a project budget and begin to implement the designs. In addition to physical additions and alterations, JLG used our vast hockey and marketing expertise to craft branding and image changes that reflect the goals of the Arena and the surrounding community. Today, Slater Family Ice Arena offers a wide variety of community-based events and programs all year-round, including High School Hockey programs, Public Skate, Learn to Skate lessons, Youth Hockey, Figure Skating, and Adult Hockey leagues.
Since the initial planning effort, BGSU has implemented several of the planned projects, including ice slab replacements and ice refrigeration systems replacement.
