Lakeview Arena preparing for NHL's arrival

MARQUETTE — October 4th will be here before you know it. That’s the mindset these days for officials with the City of Marquette Parks and Recreation Department.

Lakeview Arena is gearing up to host an NHL preseason game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Carolina Hurricanes for winning the Kraft Hockeyville USA contest.

The Parks and Recreation Department is working with the NHL to make modifications to the rink for the exhibition contest.
And on top of that, volunteers are spending time fixing up the arena to make sure that everyone who comes to Marquette for the game has a memorable experience.

Retail giant Lowe’s donated six thousand dollars worth of tools and paint to help spruce up the arena.

“It’s pretty humbling to see the support we’ve been getting, especially the amount of support from Lowe’s for the donation they made,” said Andrew MacIver, Marquette Parks & Recreation Coordinator. “We’ve been getting some donations from services, volunteers and some other organizations around the city. This is a community who stood up for us, got us to be Hockeyville USA. Now they’re responding and saying we want to help. We want to make this building great for the game.”

In addition to hosting an NHL preseason game, Lakeview Arena received $150,000 for winning the contest.