"Our kick plates are 2 x 6’s painted “safety” yellow.  We use 2 x 4 stakes which are driven into the yard to a depth of 2 ½ feet.  Our yard has a slope of around 16 – 18 inches.  We level the 2 x 6’s with a string line.  This gives us 3 ½ inches of ice at one corner, with about 18 inches of depth at the opposite diagonal corner.  To fill in under the 2 x 6’s we used 3/8 inch OSB.  These were attached to the stakes with deck screws.  In the corners we use 12-inch high mason board.  We begin driving stakes and screwing boards together around the first of November."  

"Next we wait for a period of cold weather, hopefully the 1st of December.  That weather didn’t show up until the week before Christmas, this year.  We then lay out our “liner”, which is a 100 x 40, six mil, white, plastic, silage cover.  This is then stapled to the back of the 2 x 6’s.  We then fill the liner from our outside faucet.  It took 3 days to fill the rink."

"Here are some of the other ideas we have incorporated into our back yard rink:"

• Regulation sized goalie nets, with  ¼ inch bolts to hold them in place
• (6) 500 watt halogen flood lamps for evening skating
• Outdoor stereo speakers
• Stick box, using 3 inch pvc as holders for our hockey sticks
• We have a low set of end boards with hand rails for our “younger” skaters to use at one end of the rink and a set of higher boards for some serious slap shots at the other end
• American and Canadian flags hanging at each end of the rink
• Enclosed back porch with extra skates for our “visitors”
• A special ramp leading to the rink for snow blower access
• Guest book for all visiting skaters
• Lighted rink entrance sign

Great job Kyle.  Your rink looks and sounds great. Thanks for the pic.