2 arenas welcome Brewer addition

The new multipurpose arena in Brewer, which is scheduled to be finished by mid-September, is a welcome addition to the area, according to representatives of the other two ice arenas in the Bangor area.

“It’s definitely a good development,” said Tim McDougal, the rink manager at Sawyer Arena in Bangor. “This will get more kids on the ice and get more of them involved in hockey. It’ll also mean people won’t have to get up at 5 in the morning [to take their children to hockey practice].”

McDougal said the Brewer Arena may cut into the morning hours at Sawyer “but prime time isn’t going to change. We’ll be as busy as we are now.”

He added that they will adjust their morning hours if necessary.

Betty Fadrigon, an administrative assistant at the University of Maine who schedules the ice time at the Alfond Arena, said it “won’t have an impact on us.”

“We’ve actually had too much demand [for ice time]. We have Orono and Old Town youth hockey as well as their high school programs, but we haven’t been able to meet their needs. Now we will be able to meet their needs completely,” said Fadrigon. “This will also give us some opportunity to expand.”

Fadrigon said the demand at the Alfond was such that she supplied McDougal and Sawyer Arena with 150 hours of ice time for programs she couldn’t accommodate at the Alfond. The Alfond also houses the Maine men’s and women’s basketball programs.

Lou Janicki, the owner of the Kickit Soccer Shop in Brewer and the man who is behind the new arena, said the facility will be used for hockey from October to March, indoor soccer and field hockey from March to June, and roller hockey during the summer.

He said the rates for ice time will be competitive with those at the Alfond and Sawyer ($120-$160 per hour) and the rate for non-ice activities will be $50 an hour.

The facility will cost less than $2 million and will have seating for approximately 1,200 people.

“The city of Brewer approved the bond package,” said Janicki recently. “Things couldn’t be going any faster or better. If everything is approved by the Small Business Administration, we intend to break ground on April 15.”

Janicki is running an indoor soccer program for his Kickit Soccer Shop at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine and he said there were 28 teams in his high school league.

“I’m projecting there will be at least 32 teams for high school next year, there will also be some youth leagues, and we’ll take a shot at a men’s league. College teams have expressed an interest in an indoor league, and if we could get eight teams, I’d be very happy,” said Janicki, who speculated that the indoor leagues will begin in Castine next January before moving to his arena.

“This is a dream come true,” said Bangor High School girls soccer coach Jeff Ingalls. “This can’t help but tremendously enhance the soccer programs of any community involved.”

“It just might be the stimulus that allows our [high school] teams to become more competitive with teams in southern Maine,” added Ingalls.

Brewer High boys soccer coach Mike Jeffrey said that in addition to the benefits to the various sports, the facility “will really help the city of Brewer [economically].”

Athletic directors Charlie Dickey of Bucksport, Bunky Dow of Mount Desert Island, and Tim Thornton of Ellsworth said they haven’t been approached yet about the possibility of the arena sparking hockey programs at their schools, but they will be open-minded if they are approached.

“I haven’t heard anything official. There have been rumblings, but no one has come forward,” said Dow. “I know a lot of our younger kids travel to play in Bangor and Orono. I’d love to see it. It would give a lot more kids an opportunity [to play a winter sport].”