Ralph Engelstad Arena
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Ralph Engelstad Arena (REA) is an indoor arena located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. There is also a smaller arena bearing the same name located in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Both facilities are used primarily for ice sports, such as hockey and were built by University of North Dakota (UND) alumnus Ralph Engelstad. Some people refer to the Grand Forks arena as simply "The Ralph".
The Grand Forks facility, which seats 11,500, was opened in 2001 and is located on the UND campus. It is used by the University's men's and women's Fighting Sioux hockey teams. The arena also hosts many non-athletic events including concerts and a yearly circus. No expense was spared in the construction of this arena which totaled over $100 million. The entire arena is decked out in marble flooring, leather seating for all spectators, escalators, full-color LCDs and advanced lighting and electronics. A second indoor sheet of ice (this one being "Olympic" size) lies adjacent to the main arena. Another addition to the main arena was completed in 2004 and is now the home of the University's basketball and volleyball teams. This addition is known as The Betty Engelstad Sioux Center (or simply "The Betty"). The arena is considered to be one of the top arenas in the entire world. Famous hockey player Wayne Gretzky has called the structure "one of the most beautiful buildings we have in North America."[link]
The Thief River Falls facility seats 4,500 and is mainly used by the city's public high school as well as for community events.
Both arenas played host to the 2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships with over 195,000 tickets sold. The Grand Forks facility will host the 2008 Ford World Men's Curling Championship.
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