Terry Smith of the St. Ignace Recreation Department uses red paint Wednesday, October 1, to put the finishing touches on an end zone face-off spot in preparation for the ice hockey season at Little Bear East Arena. Terry Smith of the St. Ignace Recreation Department has been preparing the ice at Little Bear East Arena for nine years. The first year, the ice was put down with help from Mackinaw City employees, he remembers.

The process begins with three coats of white, water-based paint, which covers a thin layer of ice that blankets the concrete floor.

"People think we paint right on the concrete," he said, "but we don't. It's actually pretty interesting."

Then, string is used as a guide for the correct placement of hockey game lines.

"It's quite an operation to lay it out," said Mr. Smith.

Once the two coats of red and blue game line paint are ready, the arena floor is topped with five layers of water, applied with a hose and wand attachment, and an additional 15 coats of water from a Zamboni machine.

Hockey game markings are done and ice hardens at Little Bear East Arena Thursday, October 2, in preparation for the upcoming hockey season. When completed, the ice is about an inch thick. The ice-making process takes four to five days and requires about 18,000 gallons of water. The ice was to be ready for a Firehawks Midget AA hockey game Saturday, October 4. The rink also will be available for open skating, although the schedule has not been finalized yet.