BELMONT — In the latest blow to Peninsula ice skaters and hockey players, Belmont Iceland announced Wednesday it will close its doors for good by the end of April.

The company that owns the rink, East Bay Iceland, attributed the closure to rising capital expenses. The announcement, which comes almost three years after the closure of a rink at Bridgepointe Shopping Center in San Mateo, stunned and saddened employees and patrons of the nearly 60-year-old venue.

“It’s devastating,” said Aaron Beecher, the rink’s 36-year-old assistant manager. “I love it here. I love the kids, I love the team that we built.”

Beecher said the rink is popular and profitable, serving as many as 10,000 people a month. Belmont Iceland has about 600 kids in its skating school, he said. It also hosts youth hockey classes, adult recreational leagues, fundraisers, birthday parties, corporate events and adapted physical education for children with disabilities.

In its announcement, East Bay Iceland said aging infrastructure was making the business untenable. The company said it faced more than $1 million in capital upgrades, including replacing the floor and updating the refrigeration plant.

“At this point, it is no longer sustainable to continue the operation and we are sad and disappointed to have to close the facility,” said the company, declining to comment further.

The closure will mean fewer options for Peninsula skaters. Belmont Iceland gained customers when the Bridgepointe rink was shuttered in 2013, Beecher said. Now even more skaters and hockey players will be looking for a home.

Meredith Shyy, president of the Northern California Women’s Hockey League, said the organization of roughly 300 Bay Area players often uses the Belmont rink. Once Belmont Iceland closes, there will be just one hockey rink, Nazareth Ice Oasis in Redwood City, between San Francisco and Cupertino.

“It’s really sad because there’s just no place for us to go,” said Shyy. “Leagues are going to end up folding, kids are going to miss the opportunities to skate and play hockey.”

Dina Artzt, a leader of a group trying to reopen the San Mateo rink, said Wednesday’s announcement bolsters their argument. The San Mateo City Council will soon consider a plan to redevelop the rink into retail stores.

“It shows how important it is that the San Mateo City Council figure out a way to keep this rink that they already have for the community,” Artzt said in an email, “because, like we’ve been saying all along, it is very likely that the Peninsula could have no rinks before long.”

East Bay Iceland closed its Berkeley rink in 2007, citing the cost of refrigeration unit repairs, but still operates a rink in Dublin. The Berkeley property now holds a Sports Basement store.

Beecher, who is married with three children, will be looking for a job, along with a handful of other employees. A couple dozen instructors who work at the rink will also be affected.

The rink will close by April 30. Beecher said he and the staff will keep the facility open as long as possible.

“We’re going to do our best to stay open to the very end,” he said. “We’re sorry we won’t be open longer.”

Contact Aaron Kinney at 650-348-4357. Follow him at Twitter.com/kinneytimes.