RecZone, the Raleigh ice rink that closed in June after being foreclosed upon, will reopen this Saturday.

The facility has been renovated and renamed Raleigh Center Ice.

Chip Shelton, president of Liberty Solutions, confirmed the Saturday opening. He said Raleigh Center Ice would also hold a grand opening event in the coming weeks.

Liberty Solutions of Charlotte was hired to manage the facility for BB&T Bank until it is sold. The firm contracted with Patrick Cavanagh, owner of the Chilled Ponds Ice and Turf Sports Complex in Chesapeake, Va., to renovate the facility.

The improvements included adding a new ice plant to make the facility more energy-efficient and a new dasher board and glass system. The lobby was also renovated.

The RecZone's closing displaced hundreds of skaters and hockey players. On average, more than 1,200 people used the facility each week.

The Carolina Hurricanes practiced at the rink, and it was also the home ice for N.C. State University's club hockey team.

The Hurricanes are scheduled to hold their pre-season conditioning camp at Raleigh Center Ice beginning Aug. 22.

RecZone, the Raleigh ice rink that closed earlier this month after being foreclosed upon, will be renovated and reopen under a new name in mid-August.

Liberty Solutions, which has been hired to manage the facility for BB&T Bank until it is sold, has contracted with CCS and Patrick Cavanagh, who owns the Chilled Ponds Ice and Turf Sports Complex in Chesapeake, Va., on the renovations.

The facility's new name will be Raleigh Center Ice.

"We are fully committed to bringing Raleigh Center Ice up to a world class facility and are thrilled to have secured a working agreement with Patrick on this project, he has a proven track record for excellence in this industry and we want the finest product for the Raleigh community," said Chip Shelton, Liberty Solutions president, in a release.

The renovations will include a new ice plant to make the facility more energy efficient and a new dasher board and glass system. The lobby is also being renovated.

The RecZone's closing displaced hundreds of skaters and hockey players. On average, more than 1,200 people used the facility each week.

The Carolina Hurricanes practiced at the rink, and it was also the home ice for N.C. State University's club hockey team.

The rink hosted youth and adult leagues, figure skating, pickup game sessions, recreational skating, summer camps and instructional skating sessions.

Its outdoor facilities were used by lacrosse and street hockey teams.

All those activities are expected to resume under the new management.

RecZone, the Raleigh ice rink that was foreclosed upon last month, has closed.

John Biedermann, whose family has owned the facility since 2000, said he found out Monday that BB&T Bank wanted the rink closed down earlier than he had expected. Biedermann had hoped to keep the facility open through June 15.

BB&T has appointed Liberty Solutions of Charlotte to manage the property. A bank spokesman said last month that BB&T would make a decision about the property's future soon.

Biedermann said he hopes that someone will buy the facility from the bank and quickly reopen it.

“There is absolutely a lot of need here in this town,” he said. “If it isn’t opened again, it’s really going to hurt.”

The RecZone's closing will displace hundreds of skaters and hockey players, and will also make it harder to schedule ice time at other rinks.

On average, more than 1,200 people used the facility each week.

The RecZone, the Hurricanes' practice rink on Hodges Street in Raleigh, is in foreclosure, the N&O's David Bracken reported today. BB&T took over the building and apparently told RecZone officials to be out of the facility by June 15.

The Hurricanes have practiced at the RecZone since the 2001-02 season, and made $300,000 in upgrades during the summer of 2003.

RALEIGH — Just as the Carolina Hurricanes grabbed the eighth and final playoff position with 29 games left, they head out on their last extended road trip of the regular season.

Their next five games are on the road, though the team will be able to stop back in Raleigh before it's over.

The road trip includes the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Atlanta Thrashers and two games at the New Jersey Devils, who, despite struggling for much of the season, have won nine of their last 12 games.

"We're going to play some very difficult teams at home and New Jersey now has moved up to one of the elite teams," Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice said at the RecZone Monday, before the team boarded a plane bound for north Jersey.