"Our rink basically takes up most of our backyard and this year measures 100 ft. by 40 ft.

We started in December this year, since we had an early snow fall.  We use a snow base, stomped down using snowshoes.

We have 4-ft high, 1/2-inch plywood boards at the end zones and 2-foot boards on the sides, for the most part. Boards are higher at the 'low end' of the rink since the height differential from one end to the other is about a foot. We're thinking of levelling the low end next fall because the slope considerably increases the flooding required and consequently delays the
rink's ready date.

We invested in a good quality net this year (About $120 at Canadian Tire); conveniently, the neighbour owns one also, so we pair them up for games.

Last year we iced over a Canadian and a Quebec flag to mark the goal creases, but found they attracted too much sun. This year we're keeping it simple: red lines to mark the end zones and a green centre line (since my wife and I are both of Irish extraction) with a green faceoff dot. We use coloured crepe paper streamers to make the lines. They work perfectly as long as you lay them down on a day with little or no wind (I weigh down the line every few feet with a hockey puck) and do the first wet-downs of the lines using a jug of water poured through a collander or strainer (to prevent the force of the water from tearing the fragile paper).

Rink tools include push broom, ice scraper (for bumps), big scoop shovel, 100-ft heavy-duty rubber hose, 20-litre bucket and 100-litre barrel."

Some good tips in there.  Thanks for the picture and info Peter.