St. George » When Salt Lake City resident Michael England was driving through St. George several years ago and learned that the city did not have an ice rink, he decided to build one.

The Dixie Igloo Ice Centre opened its doors the Monday after Christmas and has provided a slick recreation opportunity for residents of the southern Utah city rimmed with a redrock desert.

England, who has been an ardent skater and hockey player most of his life, said the rink under a huge vinyl tent on Tabernacle Street has been well received. Its slogan: "It has finally frozen over."

Now it's so popular, especially since the recently-concluded Winter Olympics, that the company supplying its hot chocolate became suspicious about the quantity it ordered.

"They thought we were doing something illegal," joked England, who when he has the opportunity, takes the wheel of the Zamboni to resurface the 80-foot by 120-foot ice sheet.

"I'm the only Zamboni operator there is who wears sandals," he said.

England began toying with the idea of a St. George ice rink in 2003 and teamed up with local investors to open it on land leased from the Washington County School District and the city. His goal is build a permanent structure.

Because summer temperatures run high in the region, the rink will be dismantled in mid-April and stored until October. The tent will stay up temporarily to serve as a transition and staging area for an Iron Man Triathlon expected to draw 10,000 visitors in early May.

Two nonprofit organizations are affiliated with the ice rink to provide skating opportunities for youth in the area.

John Liddell, president of the Southern Utah Amateur Hockey Association, said the group raises money to give scholarships -- ice time, instruction and hockey equipment -- to children ages 4 to 17.

He said the group aims to develop high school hockey programs and student hockey leagues. He hopes leagues will eventually draw skaters from the north, where there are many ice skating and hockey opportunities, to the St. George rink, the only one in the area.

"It [ice rink] also gives the kids something safe to do," he said.

Rink manager Nicole Laub is a board member of Kids on Ice, which helps children and others to learn to skate.

"This rink is a blessing to the community, especially for the youth and students at Dixie State College, who can just walk here," Laub said. A native of Toronto, Laub said many skaters who visit the rink are transplants from Canada, where children are born skating.

"Throw a sheet of ice down and [Canadians] come out of the woodwork," she said.

Laub is proud of Canada's Olympic gold medal, achieved with a victory over the U.S. team. But England points out the U.S. won its first meeting at the Olympics.

He decided there has to be a tiebreaker -- and has scheduled a game at the rink March 30 between Canadians living in Utah and a U.S. team.

"There's no way they can beat us twice," he said.

mhavnes@sltrib.com