POTSDAM -- Potsdam's Pine Street Arena officially starts its ice season Sunday, Oct. 13 with a public skating session from 1 to 2 p.m., which will be at the same time each Sunday during the season.

That Sunday start time, and dropping the 6 to 7 p.m. Sunday public session, will help accommodate more practice time needed for the Potsdam Junior Hockey Association.

Recreation Director Trey Smutz apologizes to those patrons who looked forward to the Thursday evening skate, is “excited to see that more children have signed up for Junior Hockey this year and thus the need for additional practice time."

Regular public skating sessions will be extended from 1:45 to 4:45 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday until Nov. 8, after which Potsdam Varsity Hockey starts practicing, and open skating hours will be back to the normal time on those days of 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. starting Nov. 11. Public skating is $2 for adults, $1 for seniors and students, while kids under 5 skate for free. Skate rentals are $3.

Other ice sessions include:

• Senior Shinny, Monday through Friday 8:30-9:45 a.m., for relaxed pick-up hockey games for seniors who are present that day. $1.

• Adult Skating, Monday through Friday 10 to 11 a.m., reserved for adults looking to practice their figure skating or general skating, without small children roaming the ice.

• Parent-Tot Skating, Monday through Friday 11:15 to noon. Parents can take their small children and those learning to skate to the arena in a more relaxed setting.

• Open Hockey, Monday through Friday 12:30-1:30 p.m. Full equipment recommended, helmets required. Skaters $3, goalies free.

On school holidays, vacation days and snow days, the regular daily schedule changes in the morning. For example, Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 14, is a school holiday. On such days:

• Senior Shinny from 8:30-9:45 a.m.

• Adult Skating becomes Open Figure Skating from 10 to 11 a.m. at a cost of $3 per skater

• Youth Open Hockey for those 12 years old and younger from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., $3 per skater

• Adult Open Hockey for those 13 years of age and older from 12:30-1:30 p.m. $3 per skater

• Public Skating remains the same, 1:45-2:45 p.m.

Dates and times for special Sunday public skating sessions, the Halloween Skate, and Skate with Santa will be announced.

Schedule changes and rental info, including snowshoes, will be posted on the program's Facebook page. The recreation department now has more than 100 pairs of hockey skates to rent, ranging in size from 7 Youth to 13 Adult, for a fee of $3 per pair. Rental skates are typically 1-1.5 sizes smaller than your shoe size and with a new Sparx skate sharpener, Potsdam Recreation now has the ability to sharpen skates during most normal office hours.

For those interested in private ice rentals or renting the arena and warm room for a birthday party or other event, contact Recreation Director Trey Smutz 315-265-4030 or tsmutz@vi.potsdam.ny.us for more information.