The Cass Park Ice rink in Ithaca opened in the fall of 1972. It’s been an open air rink ever since.

“As I like to say, eight days a week for many, many winters in this rink," said Ithaca High School Hockey Head Coach Paul Zarach.

Zarach has spent countless hours at the Cass Park Ice Rink in Ithaca. He’s pretty familiar with what it’s like to practice in the open air.

“There’s days you could show up and it’s raining outside and it could be foggy, there’s days where it’s really cold, last year we had a practice it was so cold we broke a puck, and the guys after practice  their hair was frozen with some icicles, ”said Zarach.

“I call them sweatscicles, where sweat just collects on the back of my hair,  it just freezes when I’m skating around, and all the guys think it’s pretty gross, I think it’s pretty cool," said Dennis Kang, a player for Ithaca High School Boys’ Varsity Hockey.

“When we’re here practicing and it’s below zero, and it’s windy in here, its cold yeah," said Ithaca High School hockey player Colin Blakeslee. “Especially when you’re wheeling up and down the ice and your face gets it and your ears get cold and your fingers are cold and your toes.”

Through the years community members have donated, and the city has also pitched in to get a new roof, and to get it enclosed, away from the elements.

“We’ve been doing many fundraisers for many years just to try to get money just to help just to get anything to do with this rink,” said Blakeslee.

After years of fundraising to enclose the Cass Park Rink, now a half a million dollar grant from the state could fix all of those weather problems.

“I think it’s awesome, especially for the upcoming developing players, I’m a senior so it’s not really going to benefit me that much, but I think our hockey program will really benefit with an enclosed rink especially our high school program since we have morning practice here," said Ithaca High School hockey player  Samuel Hynes-Klempa.

 “The process has taken a few years but yes we’re moving forward and as long as we keep along this path, it seems like it’s going to happen," said Ithaca Youth Buerau Deputy Director Jim D’Alterio.

Meaning the chills will come from the exciting play on the ice, instead of winter's wrath. No word yet on when construction may begin. We are told this winter season’s skating won’t be interrupted.