This year, the North American Hockey League celebrates its 50th anniversary by welcoming its newest team to the ice: the Watertown Shamrocks . The Shamrocks are an expansion team in the central division and have become the second South Dakota team, joining the Aberdeen Wings . 605 Spotlight CULTURE + ENTERTAINMENT PRAIRIE LAKES ICE ARENA
Watertown has made sure to welcome the new team with open arms, having spent the last two years preparing a brand-new facility.
Prairie Lakes Ice Arena began construction in the fall of 2022, and opened to the public this February.
“There was a lot of energy, excitement, and moving parts that went into making this come together,” said Josh Maag , recreation superintendent of Watertown Parks and Recreation . “In a sense, the whole community was involved.” Maag says a “ Build it Now, it’s More than Ice ” campaign was created for the rink, which was the largest public works project in the history of Watertown. With the goal of creating a community space that can be used by anyone at any age, JLG Architects senior principal Tom Betti compared it to shrinking down the Xcel Energy Center —home of the Minnesota Wild .
Written by Greta Smith + Photos by Alana Snyder
THE HOLIDAY ISSUE november 2024
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