March 2026 / Issue 12

Hockey and Figure Skating stole the show at the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, inspiring skaters across the globe. Come start your own skating journey in our Learn to Skate USA Group Lessons. Our Spring Session began 3/9 and runs through 5/16.

Every Group Lesson skater receives our unique VIP Skate Card that offers 12 sessions on our Public Skate, Stick & Puck, or VIP Practice Ice for figure skaters. That's a value of $84-$144 per session all because we know that routine practice is key to success, no matter which ice sport you pursue.

Our Spring Ice Show is right around the corner! Each Show registrant is recognized with their very own Route 66 vanity plate displayed in our lobby. As our competitive, ASPIRE, and Group Lesson skaters prepare for "Open Road Adventures on Route 66", Group Lesson skaters still have the opportunity to participate and must sign up by 3/22. The 2026 Spring Ice Show will take place:

Friday, May 15 at 6:00pm

Saturday, May 16 at 6:00pm

Sunday, May 17 at 11:00am

With the final 2025-2026 Yellowjacket Fall Season game played by the CS 2016 Squirt Minors on March 7 (newly minted State Champs - way to go 16s!), it's time to think about Spring Hockey. Junior Jacket (in-house) evaluations took place on 3/11 and Tournament/NWHSL Tryouts are taking place now (March 14-19). Spring Season officially begins April 1. For more information, please visit firewagonhockey.com.

YJ 2026 SPRING REGISTRATION

Sticks & Stones Adult Rec League Adult Learn to Play Hockey class is back by popular demand. If you're new to hockey or looking to improve your skills, this class is for you. This class will fill - don't delay - sign up today!

Coach Brooke Gewalt (above) competed in the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis, Missouri on January 4-11, 2026. This was Coach Brooke's 3rd year in a row competing in the Senior Women's event, alongside now-Olympians Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, and Isabeau Levito as well as Ice House alum and Olympian Bradie Tennell. Brooke placed 15th among the top 18 skaters in the country.

Several coaches, skaters, and families from the Crystal Ice House were in attendance to cheer on Brooke and experience the Olympic-level excitement (below).

Congrats to all of our Winter 2026 Little Blackhawks graduates (below). We hope to see you on the ice in classes and on teams in the months ahead!

YJ's teams have been busy with league and tournament play near and far this fall. Below are a few big wins recorded in the 2025-26 season.

The 2016s (above) are STATE CHAMPIONS! They took on the Ice Dogs last Saturday and won the Championship with a score of 5-1. The 2016s also finished 3rd in Central States Squirt Minor league play.

The 2015s (above) finished 3rd in State and 2nd in Central States Squirt Major league and tournament play (below). The Central States Championship game was broadcast live by Stream Sports Midwest, and can still be viewed here.

Squirt 1 took first place in the St. Louis Big Bear Gateway Tournament (above).

The Predators claimed victory in the Junior Jackets Squirt/Peewee Championships! At the Mite level, the Kings won the Championship, and the Rangers reigned victorious in the Bantam/Midget division. Well done Junior Jackets!

Bantam 2 ended their season on a high note, as champions of the UHT Skyline Cup (above).

Peewee 1 conquered the Polar Vortex in Madison, WI with a victory over the St. Louis Rockets (above).

Bantam 1 claimed first place in Central States Red 1 and brought home a banner (above).

Bantam 3 ended their season with an impressive 2nd place finish in CSDHL Blue 1 (above).

Stingers 2 were crowned UHT Windy City Classic Champions over Martin Luther King Weekend (above).

Stingers 4 took silver at the UHT Windy City Classic after a hard-fought, razor-thin 1-2 finish in the Championship game (above).

Stingers 3 wrapped up the holidays with a 2nd place finish in the 2025 UHT Ho Ho Classic (above).

Stingers 1 took 2nd place in the 2025 Wishbone Invitational in a Championship game that ended in a tie, after sudden death OT, and took 11 rounds in the shootout to decide a winner. What a run!

Have the "Inside Edge" on a skating story? Click here to send us an email!

Spring Group Lessons just started, don't delay...

We offer prorated registration fees for missed classes, so you're welcome to start after Spring Break.

Planning ahead for summer? Explore our Summer Group Lesson schedule and our Unlimited and ASPIRE Ice summer offerings for figure skaters.

Facility Update

Since last December, there continues to be positive changes around the rink.

In January, a newly refurbished Yellowjackets 18U Locker Room by West Rink had its grand reveal.

New dedicated 18U Locker Room

Locker room renovations continue to build on the improvements this fall, as we work our way around the building replacing ceilings, upgrading lighting, improving ventilation, and refreshing paint.

That same month, gift acknowledgements went out to everyone who included our Ice Resurfacer Fund in their charitable giving plans. We are grateful for their generosity and kindness. We hope every family will consider a gift to the Fund in 2026. Your support keeps us moving forward, and we still have a long way to go to achieve our goal.

In February we hosted the Mason Wasz Foundation's "A Day At The Rink", where we added curling circles to the Far East Rink. The event brought renewed excitement for a curling program - something we hope to build upon in the coming months.

Speaking of building excitement, the success of US Olympians has increased interest in figure skating and hockey at the Crystal Ice House, yielding booming numbers in our Learn to Skate USA programming. We are eager to be able to embark on upgrading our rental skates in the months ahead, thanks in large part to the success of our Group Lessons. I look forward to sharing more on that front in our summer newsletter.

David Lichterman

General Manager

Make A Gift

Hockey skaters taking private lessons with a Coach can now pay for their ice time in advance and ONLINE. This is the preferred method of payment. Simply visit our web site and click REGISTER and choose "Private Hockey Ice Working with a Coach" for the specific date needed.

Private hockey ice is available in half hour increments at $14 per half hour. Contact the Rink Office for information on pros who offer private hockey lessons.

Live Barn allows you to watch events at the Crystal Ice House and many other facilities throughout the country. It provides a great opportunity for relatives who can't attend in person to watch their loved ones skate. Save 10% when you sign up with code: 050d-330d

Thank You To Our Advertisers!

Every advertising spot at Crystal Ice House helps us keep ice affordable in our community. Please show our advertisers support around town!

Portillo's

Raising Cane's

Crystal Lake Stingers

Rookies

Wagon Wheel FSC

The Woodstock Independent

Encore Memory Care

Mabel Hanson CLTC, Registered Representative and Insurance Agent with New York Life

Sticks & Stones Hockey League

Pro Stock Hockey

Welcome Pro Stock Hockey to our family of advertisers!

We are thrilled to welcome back Portillo's and Encore Memory Care to their second year advertising on our rink dasher boards and arena walls!

At Crystal Ice House, advertising is more than a billboard. We offer lobby table set-ups, social media shoutouts, and opportunities for advertisers to be a part of our community events. When you advertise with us, you're part of the family. Reach out today to get started!

Spirit Wear Shops

Yellowjacket Hockey is hosting the annual Bonnie Vonder Haar Memorial Tournament April 8-12, 2026. Bonnie was a beloved Yellowjacket who passed away from Pediatric Cancer. The Tournament offers a great opportunity for spring teams to celebrate her love of hockey through competition at the Squirt, Peewee, Bantam and Midget level. Spread the word to your hockey friends and family in Chicagoland, and be ready to come out and cheer for your favorite black and yellow teams.

Figure skaters! Mark your calendars, set the date in your phone, and make a plan to compete (and volunteer!) here at the Crystal Ice House the weekend of May 8-9, 2026. Wagon Wheel FSC is bringing their Excel Series competition back for a second year, and we are thrilled to offer the ability to compete on home ice to our Group Lesson, ASPIRE, and Unlimited Ice skaters.

New to the idea of competing? Talk to Skating Director Kim Johnson about the path from Group Lessons to competitive ice. There are several opportunities to compete throughout Chicagoland for skaters Snow Plow Sam and up.

3/9/26 - 5/16/26 - Spring Group Lesson Session (we prorate for missed classes)

4/3/26 - WWFSC Test Session

4/5/26 - Closed for Easter

4/8/26 - 4/12/26 - Bonnie Vonder Haar Memorial Tournament

5/8/26 - 5/9/26 - WWFSC Excel Competition

5/15/26 - 5/17/26 - Spring Ice Show

5/25/26 - Closed for Memorial Day

6/1/26 - 8/12/26 - Summer Group Lesson Session (we prorate for missed classes)

6/1/26 - Summer Hours Begin for Unlimited / ASPIRE / Public Skate

6/5/26 - WWFSC Test Session

7/3/26 - 7/5/26 - Closed for 4th of July

8/10/26 - WWFSC Test Session

8/17/26 - School Year Hours Begin for Unlimited / ASPIRE / Public Skate

9/7/26 - Closed for Labor Day

8/24/26 - 11/21/26 - Fall Group Lesson Session (we prorate for missed classes)

We’re not your average ice arena! Most rinks in our area are owned by corporations or park districts. Crystal Ice House is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fire Wagon Hockey, Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Fire Wagon purchased the Crystal Ice House in 2011 from its original owner to further our mission to make ice sports accessible in our community. As the only ice arena in McHenry County, we hope you feel welcome every time you set foot inside our facility. You’re part of the family!

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