On the tropical islands of Hawaii, hockey may seem like a sport unavailable to residents. The Maui Inline Hockey Association brings the popular cold weather sport to Hawaii in an unconventional way- through an inline hockey league. This league has become so popular, they offer numerous levels of youth and adult programs to satisfy hockey enthusiasts at all athletic levels. Best of all, games and practices take place under the shining sun with the sound of ocean waves in the background at the hockey rink in Kihei, HI.

Since the hockey rink in Kihei is only 40 feet from the ocean, corrosion of steel components is a major concern. The salty environment was causing the existing metal used for the rink to corrode resulting in a safety issue for players and spectators. In 2019, they reached out to Becker Arena Products, Inc. for help replacing their Dasher Boards.

Becker Arena Products, Inc. is located in the cold, wintery climate of Shakopee, MN. They are a leading provider of ice rink construction and arena supplies. Essentially, they have been using hot-dip galvanizing for all their boards for years and years. Operations Coordinator Colin Jorgenson shared, "Having the boards hot-dip galvanized protects both the steel and the welds from the harsh environments these boards call home." Becker Arena Products typically ships their welded steel frames to the galvanizing facility straight from the welder. The hot-dip galvanizing takes place within 24 hours and is shipped back to Shakopee, MN. Then, Becker Arena Products builds and assembles the entire Dasher Board.

The Kihei Hockey Rink was a unique project for Becker Arena Products due to its isolated location. Instead of assembling at their facility, the components were shipped separately to be assembled on-site. Quality of the galvanized finish was imperative as it would be extremely expensive if anything needed to be replace and re-shipped to their location. Additionally, the extremely corrosive environment called for the best in corrosion protection. Hot-dip galvanizing offers three levels of protection, is extremely durable, and it provides a sustainable solution to protecting the steel used in this project.

Although nontraditional, the residents of Hawaii enjoy participating in this conventionally winter sport. Maui Inline Hockey Association trusted the experience and knowledge of Becker Arena Products to provide a long-lasting solution for their hockey rink Dasher Boards that will resist the corrosive properties of the salt water in the ocean.