Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium holds the third National Hockey League Finals on March 14 (Photo/Chinadaily)

The third National Hockey League Finals drew to a successful close at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium on March 14, local media outlets reported.

The final was the first ice sport event hosted in the venue since it completed renovations late last year. The venue is the first of its kind in East China's Zhejiang province as it can host both basketball matches and ice sport events, including ice hockey, curling, figure skating, and short track speed skating.

It requires just six to eight hours to transform the stadium from an ice sports arena to a basketball competition venue that meets international standards.

The refrigerating system, which uses ethylene glycol as the freezing medium, is the key to this switch between functions.

"The entire ice-making process takes four to six days depending on the local weather, temperature and humidity. According to the requirements of different events, the ice thickness can be controlled between 30 and 50 millimeters and the temperature of the ice surface can be adjusted to as low as minus 12 degree Celsius," said Zhu Yizhi, director of the venue.

The wall system imported from Finland is another key to the transformation. The system features a unique technology that use locks instead of traditional screws, thus minimizing the time required for removal and assembly of walls.

"The ice can be quickly transformed into a basketball and volleyball arena by laying insulation sheets, protective boards and removable wood floors on it," Zhu explained.

Editor: Huang Yan