CRANBERRY TWP — A new Dek hockey rink sponsored by the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and Highmark will be open for use in Graham Park by October.

Pete Geis, director of the township’s parks and recreation department, told the board of supervisors at a meeting Thursday night that he initially planned for the rink to open next spring, but Penguins officials wanted to move that date up to sometime this year.

“The Penguins Foundation is really excited about bringing this to Cranberry Township,” Geis said. “They wanted to move fast to bring it here.”

The Penguins and Highmark have teamed up to build about a dozen Dek hockey rinks throughout the region, although the one in Cranberry Township will be the first such rink built outside of Allegheny County.

The rink will support Dek hockey, a game similar to ice hockey but played on shoes instead of ice skates. The rink will be located in Graham Park by the baseball fields currently used by the Miracle League.

The rink will include benches for players as well as a scoreboard and other amenities. Geis said the rinks will be used by youth leagues, local schools and will be available for residents for open ice time.

Ground work and construction at the site is expected to start soon, Geis said.