Growing the Game
Dalton Buck, Mechanical Designer
Anyone who’s spent time at the Scheels IcePlex knows how tight things have gotten over the years. When the building opened, it had just enough to get by. Now—with youth hockey doubling from around 400 players to more than 800—space has been stretched to its limit. The new expansion finally brings the upgrades everyone’s been waiting for.
On the north side, a two‑story, 12,320‑square‑foot addition will become the new home for Sioux Falls Youth Hockey. It includes varsity locker rooms for boys and girls, offices, storage, and a spot for spirit wear. Upstairs adds warmup and workout space, shooting lanes, a conference room, and a viewing area overlooking the north rink.
The south wing adds about 5,130 square feet for the Power Hockey Suite, including new locker rooms for U15, U16, and U18 teams, along with updated coaches’ and meeting areas.
West Plains Engineering handled all the behind‑the‑scenes systems—HVAC, plumbing, electrical, lighting, fire protection, and technology upgrades—to tie everything smoothly into the existing building.
The design incorporates multiple rooftop or ground‑mounted units paired with VAV boxes for better zone control, and an energy recovery ventilator to help manage humidity and odors—something every hockey player knows is critical in gear‑heavy areas. The plumbing system extends new domestic cold water, sanitary sewer, storm piping, and natural gas from the existing building. These extensions provide service to new fixtures, showers, floor drains, and mechanical rooms sized for higher occupancy loads. Fire protection is also fully expanded, with the additions covered by a complete sprinkler system tied into the existing building and designed to NFPA requirements.
Electrically, each wing received new panelboards fed from the existing service, supporting lighting, mechanical equipment, receptacles, and future growth. All new spaces use LED lighting with automatic controls to meet current energy codes. Technology upgrades extended the existing telecom system into the additions.
At roughly $3.5 million, the project brings in amenities that didn’t fit the budget the first time around. For players, families, and the dozens of programs that call the IcePlex home, these additions mean better training spaces, locker rooms, and a facility that can keep up with Sioux Falls’ booming hockey community.
Dalton Buck, Mechanical Designer, Sioux Falls
Dalton Buck is a Mechanical Designer in Sioux Falls, SD, as well as a lifelong hockey player and fan. Dalton led the mechanical design for the IcePlex addition.
