Wilderness will play in Proctor to start

Due to an ice plant malfunction and a delay in receiving replacement parts at its home arena in Cloquet, the Minnesota Wilderness has signed an agreement to hold its first three regular season contests, plus its lone 2023 preseason game, at the St. Luke’s Sports and Event Center in Proctor.

Practices are scheduled to begin Aug. 22. That will be followed by a preseason contest vs. the Austin Bruins on Sept. 2, the regular season-opener on Sept. 9 vs. the Anchorage Wolverines, and a series vs. the Springfield Jr. Blues on Sept. 28-29.

Northwoods Credit Union Arena in Cloquet has been iceless since June due to a cooling tower issue. Repairs were expected to be completed sometime this month, but shipping delays will keep replacement parts from arriving until early October.

General manager David Boitz thanked the several northern Minnesota and Wisconsin facilities that offered to be temporary hosts. He said the Proctor arena will be a great fit for the junior hockey team.

“Not only is it one of the finest arenas in the state, but it also is incredibly close in proximity to our host families and sponsors. Our top priority is to have little or no impact on the players’ development, and Proctor is best suited to offer that,” he said.

After two October weekends with games in Alaska, the Wilderness is expected to be able to return to its normal friendly confines in Cloquet on Oct. 20 when it takes on the Chippewa Steel.

The St. Luke’s Sports and Event Center opened in 2018 and seats 1,200 for hockey. The Wilderness played two games at the Proctor facility during the 2019-20 season.