BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Steelheads are set to take the ice Friday at 7:10 p.m. for the first time this season.
KTVB got a behind the scenes look at how staff makes and sets the ice at Idaho Central Arena.
Operations Technician Riley Roberts explains that making the ice is a process.
"It's a multi-day process. Our first day, typically will be a base coat, and then we'll lay our white, and then we'll seal our white. The next day, we'll come in, we'll paint all the lines and logos, and then after that, it's just building up to the depth that we want." Said Roberts.
The depth he and his team are looking for is an inch and a quarter or a little bit thicker than a hockey puck.
He compares it to the ice you put in your drink.
"The way I like to explain it is, if you ever go to like a nice restaurant, like a Whiskey Bar or anything, and you get a really clear, like ball of ice, if you notice, it doesn't melt very fast, right? Because it's very dense, very hard, that's what we're looking for, right? Compared to your ice at home, you throw it in your glass and it pops and cracks and it's super cloudy, that's not what we're looking for," Roberts said.
Roberts also drives the Zamboni for home games.
“You know, a lot of people come up to me like, Oh, you're the Zam guy. And it's like, yeah. And it's weird for me to be recognized. So it's like, you're supposed to come here to watch players. But you know, it's definitely flattering, for sure,” said Roberts.
You can catch Roberts and the Steelheads on the ice Friday night. Puck drops at 7:10 p.m.
If you can’t make it down to the game you can watch it on 24/7 KTVB 7.2 for free.