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Talk about having a home ice advantage.

No longer are Edmonton-area homeowners waiting until Hockey Night in Canada flashes across their television screens for their hockey fix, they’re going out to their backyards — and in some cases, their basements — to shoot and score.

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Photo by Supplied

Photo by Supplied

Photo by Supplied

Photo by Supplied

Photo by Supplied

Photo by Supplied

Photo by Supplied

We’re not just talking about shinny on the frozen tundra of larger backyards or shooting a puck off a typical concrete basement floor. Today’s version is all about professional-looking home-ice rinks, built at a fraction of what a professional version would cost.

“If you freeze it, they will come,” said Nick Etchells, sales manager for Edmonton-based Canadian Arena Products, a firm that specializes in supplying rink products and accessories on a commercial level, as well as a line specifically designed with the residential home owner in mind.

“We are Canada-wide and all our manufacturing is done out of Edmonton,” said Etchells, whose company has been called on to build private rinks for former NHL players, including some former Oilers. “That is kind of where our residential work started — they were buying our top-of-the-line system. But we wanted something more affordable for the everyday hockey fan, and that’s where our residential Backyard Arena line came into play.”