Ice, ice baby: Norway Savings renews Auburn ice arena naming rights

Photo / Courtesy City of Auburn The ice arena in Auburn will bear the Norway Savings Bank name for at least another 10 years.

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By Renee Cordes

Norway Savings Bank will keep its name on an Auburn ice arena for another 10 years after renewing its exclusive agreement with the city.

The move was announced at Monday evening's Auburn City Council meeting and comes ahead of 10-year anniversary celebrations in 2023 and 2024 for Maine's only dual ice-sheet arena. Having two full-size ice-rinks makes it possible to accommodate a lot more hockey and skating activities as well as the ability to remove a rink for mainenteance or a trade show without eliminating too much ice time.

Auburn's facility is home to the second-largest youth hockey program in the state, six local high schools, tier 2 and 3 junior hockey, recreational league and special hockey events, including Maine Mariners hockey and the University of Maine's Lady Black Bears. In addition to hockey, the arena is home to the Maine Home Show, scheduled to take place this year from March 18-19, along with concerts and a growing number of events.

“We are honored and excited to extend our partnership with an excellent community partner like Norway Savings Bank for an additional 10-year commitment,” said Marc Gosselin, Auburn's executive director of community partnerships and sports tourism. “We are especially grateful for our alignment with a financial institution whose commitment demonstrates an accountability for the growth and betterment of communities around the state.”

“On behalf of the city of Auburn, we are excited to earn the commitment from our arena naming rights partner, Norway Savings Bank, for what we expect to be an exciting time of growth in our city over the next 10 years,” adds Auburn City Manager Phillip L. Crowell Jr. “It further legitimizes our efforts to demonstrate our commitment in providing significant economic and social impact through sports and recreation.”

Dan Walsh, CEO of Norway Savings, said his institution is proud of the history it shares with the arena, which opened at the same time as the bank's Auburn branch.

"Since then, we’ve been able to witness, firsthand, how Auburn and the surrounding area has benefitted from the recreation, tourism and community pride the arena provides," Walsh said. "We're very excited for the next 10 years of our partnership."

Norway Savings is ranked No. 7 among Maine-based banks in the 2023 Mainebiz Book of Lists published in December. Banks are ranked by assets as of June 30, 2022.