University’s Lawsuit Iced

The University of North Dakota has settled a lawsuit with a Canadian firm it claimed improperly installed ice-making equipment at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.

Arena attorney Pat Morley said the equipment installed by CIMCO in 2001 led to higher energy and maintenance costs on the main and Olympic-size rinks, but the company will repair only the main rink. Other details of the settlement were not disclosed.

The repairs are expected to bring the home ice of the university’s hockey team to NHL specifications.

“We’re excited about the process,” arena GM Jody Hodgson told the Grand Forks Herald. “We seek to provide a world-class playing surface and a world-class building for our programs.”

The repairs were to begin April 15 and take about three months. During the renovation, summer hockey camps held at “The Ralph” will take place on the Olympic rink.

Despite the suit, which was filed in 2005, the university issued a statement lauding CIMCO as “easily the largest and most experienced ice rink refrigeration company in the world” and “the acclaimed industry leader in ice rink technologies,” according to the paper.

The firm has installed 80 percent of the current NHL systems and all the ice surfaces built for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games recently concluded in Vancouver, B.C.