Suburban Sports Group (SSG) will rename the facility formerly known as Ice Sports East
Lansing to Suburban Ice – East Lansing effective August 1. The facility, which is located
just east of the Michigan State University campus, becomes the fourth arena that is
either owned or operated by SSG. Headed by former Michigan State hockey players Tom
Anastos and Lyle Phair, SSG plans to incorporate similar strategies at Suburban Ice –
East Lansing as it has successfully implemented at its other facilities in order to help the
arena meet its full potential.

Taking over as general manager of Suburban Ice – East Lansing is Deb Grace, who has
served as general manager at the Novi Ice Arena since 2000. Suburban Sports Group
took over management of Novi Ice Arena in October of 1999, after the arena posted
significant losses in its first year of operation. Grace was pivotal in leading the facility’s
significant turnarounds, both financially and in customer service. She was also involved
in the launch and management of the Suburban Training Center in Farmington Hills,
Michigan.

Among SSG’s goals for improving Suburban Ice – East Lansing, a 90,000 square-foot,
two-sheet facility, is to increase participation in recreational skating and programs such
as Learn to Skate and beginner hockey, which will both feed into the Lansing Skating
Club and Greater Lansing Amateur Hockey Association, two of the facility’s largest user
groups. There will also be continued commitment to adult hockey programming at
Suburban Ice – East Lansing.  

Suburban Sports Group entered the recreational ice arena business in 1997 when it built
the two-sheet Suburban Training Center.  Since that time the company has grown into
one of the most respected in the industry, and also operates the Onyx – Rochester Ice
Arena, a $16 million, three-sheet ice arena located in Rochester, Michigan and the
two-sheet Novi Ice Arena, a $9 million facility owned by the city of Novi (Michigan). 
SSG is currently building a new two-sheet, $7 million dollar facility in Macomb Township,
Michigan, which is expected to open in July 2005.