Published: Friday, December 11, 2009 1:19 AM CST

What was once thought to be merely a pipe dream is now a successful reality.

Indoor hockey in Yankton was long believed to be a far-away fantasy, simply because of monetary issues and skepticism.

And the name affixed to the city’s youth hockey teams is proof positive of the effort’s eventual success.

Led by Dave Spencer, a group of supporters began an arduous task nearly six years ago to find support for an indoor ice rink. Eventually, those actions paid off, as it was announced in the fall of 2004 that the Kiwanis 4-H Youth Activities Center and Alcoa Arena were to be constructed.

Hockey was officially on the map.

Tonight (Friday), the Yankton Area Ice Association (YAIA) will celebrate the five-year anniversary of the rink during a Yankton Miracle boys’ hockey game at 7 p.m. against Brookings.

“There was quite a bit of skepticism early on, because I don’t think people saw this as feasible,” said Spencer, a current board member and former president of the YAIA. “But we envisioned the interest this could create for kids. Hockey wasn’t all that popular, but we thought they should have the option to play.”

When skating first started at Alcoa Arena, there were only 60 member participants.

Now, the YAIA now estimates there are 165 youth players and figure skaters, 35 adult players and 6,000 paid admissions per year to public open skating sessions.

In addition, the rink has hosted 40 hockey games, 12 private skating parties and two figure skating shows.

Tonight’s celebration not only commemorates the first steps toward the construction of the rink, but also of the first hockey game. On Dec. 9, 2005, the University of South Dakota club team hosted Dordt College in the first official contest.

On Dec. 23, 2005, the first public open skate session was held, followed by Yankton’s first youth hockey game against Mitchell in January 2006. It was a big step for Yankton, which at the time was the only city its size in South Dakota without an indoor ice rink.

Now, USD calls Alcoa Arena home, as do the various Yankton youth teams, including the Miracle boys’ and girls’ squads.

The name not only honors the achievement of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team — coached by Herb Brooks, whose wife Patti grew up in Yankton — but the efforts to construct an ice rink.

“Everybody said it’d be a miracle to build a rink, therefore, the name stuck,” said Terence Pedersen, a former YAIA president and current director of coaches and referees. “I joked with my brother when I moved here (in 2001) that I couldn’t live in a town without a hockey arena. He told me I should just build one, so I said I’d try.”

It was not an easy process.

The early projections for an indoor ice rink were anywhere from $400,000 to $500,000, Spencer said. The key was not only raising money, but selling to businesses a sport that at the time didn’t have much of a following locally.

Necessary equipment for an indoor ice rink started coming to Yankton from various places. Boards and glass were donated by the Mitchell Skating and Hockey Association, while used compressors and refrigeration equipment found their way to Yankton from Brookings.

Later, a used piping system from Valley City, N.D. was moved in, as was a used Zamboni from Aberdeen.

“We had all this equipment, but no place to use it,” Pedersen said. “All we needed was some land and a building. And I credit Dave Spencer for keeping the ball moving on this; there wouldn’t be a rink here without him, no question.”

Thanks to numerous private donations, including a $50,000 from Alcoa and $40,000 from Kiwanis, the project moved to the next step: finding a building.

The YAIA approached the Yankton County 4-H clubs with an idea for a jointly owned facility that could house an 85-foot ice rink in the winter, but could also be used by other organizations in the summer months. After some negotiations, a partnership was reached.

“The cincher for us was that it’d be a multi-use facility,” said Myles Konopasek of the Yankton County 4-H, which partnered with the YAIA for the land where the building now stands. “That’s what attracted 4-H; the possibility for other year-round activities. It’s a blessing for us.”

In addition to hockey, the indoor facility has been used by the 4-H programs during the summer and fall months for regional livestock and horse shows, as well as the Yankton Home Show. A large number of auctions, banquets, receptions, meetings, contests, sale events and rummage sales are also held in both facilities — the main 4-H building and the adjoining complex where the ice rink stands during hockey season.

“The community really came through for us,” Konopasek said. “It’s not just the hockey aspect that makes the project a miracle. It’s all the other events we can now hold in Yankton.”

Perhaps the biggest event to be held at the Alcoa Ice Arena was the three-day South Dakota State Bantam “C” Tournament, held in February. The YAIA estimates that the seven-team tournament generated nearly $36,000 for Yankton, bringing in more than 100 families and utilizing 200 hotel rooms.

“We’ll try to get tournaments like that here again,” Spencer said. “We heard many compliments from people about the welcome they received across town, so we’re anxious to do that again sometime.”

One such person who saw first-hand the impact Alcoa Arena had on the growth of hockey in Yankton is David Benson. A native of Sioux Falls, Benson spent two years as the USD club hockey coach while also teaching physical education and health at Sacred Heart Middle School in Yankton. He moved to Fargo in July 2008, but still keeps in contact with Spencer and the YAIA.

“Even when I was around, I could tell how the interest in hockey was growing, and now look at it,” Benson said. “It was one of main things that drew me to the USD job. And it’s one thing I always brag about when I mention Yankton to hockey lovers (in North Dakota).”

Entering his second season as the head boys’ hockey coach at Fargo South High School, Benson said he believes the Kiwanis 4-H Youth Activities Center and Alcoa Arena are a “huge reason why” youth hockey could see an increase in future interest across the area.

“It’ll only get better,” he said.

Earlier this year, the YAIA received a $7,500 equipment grant from the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA), which was used to provide 20 sets of new equipment for Yankton youth players.

The YAIA also recently received updated bleachers for Alcoa Arena from the Hartington (Neb.) public high school, and those bleachers have been installed for the 2009-10 hockey season.

Another current project under way for the YAIA is the replacement of the 35-year-old Zamboni. A newer one arrived last week, leaving the association with an unexpected expense of $20,000. Spencer said the YAIA is seeking donations to help alleviate the cost of the Zamboni.

“We’re doing things now that we never expected to be doing,” Spencer said. “Hockey is definitely growing in Yankton, and I think we’re all excited to see where it can go.”