Repost from The Livingston Post
BRIGHTON TWP. — A hockey and figure skating ice house near Brighton has a new owner and a new name.
Black Bear Sports Group, Inc. purchased Kensington Valley Ice House in Brighton Township in early February and granted naming rights to Biggby Coffee, which sponsors youth hockey programs.
The three-rink ice house is now called Biggby Coffee Ice Cube Brighton.
Bob Mainhardt, general manager of the house, said the change will bring more events and building improvements.
“What Black Bear really brings us is a national presence,” Mainhardt told The Daily, adding there’ll be more tournaments of all ages and skill levels and an influx of teams from across the country.
“I think it will really highlight the Brighton area as a hockey hotbed,” he said.
The ice house will remain the home of the Kensington Valley Hockey Association. It also hosts Brighton High School Hockey, South Lyon High School Hockey, Walled Lake Western Hockey and Livingston United Girls Varsity Hockey. It’s used by Ice House Skating Academy — and hosts public events.
Black Bear is planning facility and equipment upgrades, Mainhardt said, from Zamboni machines to the roof. He said they’ll wait until the off-season for improvements that would otherwise disrupt operations.
Black Bear Sports is based in Bethesda, Maryland, and operates ice arenas across multiple states.
“Hockey is a way of life in Brighton and the surrounding communities, and we look forward to providing customers with a first-class facility for many years to come,” Black Bear Founder and CEO Murry Gunty wrote in a release.
— Contact reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com.