Rink Review - Arcadia Ice Arena
Updated on January 9, 2012
Arcadia Ice Arena has been a Phoenix neighborhood fixture since the 1960's. it is the home to a hockey league, and features clinics, camps, and free skating sessions.
The building is well maintained, although has the aroma of a damp Midwestern United States basement. The ice is good, but my daughter does complain about how many spots the zamboni driver misses, and says the ice gets slushy by the end of her games. There is a small snack bar, but is never open at the odd hours that we have been there for games or practices.
There is no locker room for the girls, and they have to change in the ladies restroom, which usually smells worse than a damp basement (probably that aroma of Lysol added to the mix). Equipment shop appears to be well stocked, although all I have had to purchase there is hockey tape. Rental skates are available for open skating, but look as old as the rink itself. There is a bar with a separate entrance, allowing parents or spectators to have a beer and watch the skaters through one way glass.
Located in a WalMart anchored strip mall, it is difficult to find for newcomers (hint, it is back behind Radio Shack). Neighborhood can be a bit rough, and some of the people lurking in the parking lot late at night are best avoided. My advice is to look straight ahead, making it clear you have a hockey stick in your hand, and walk straight to your car. I am told that only the rink was originally at this location, and the strip mall was built up in front of it.
