Our rink boards are covered with a sheet of lexan so we mount the prints on a thin sheet of styrene. Lots will mount direct to the boards.
As for the ice, I think they use mesh banner material which allows the air and water to release and makes for easier application. This would be put down after the painted white and a few layers of ice, then the mesh with a lot more layers of ice.
I am looking for a source that might print larger than the 54" that I can, as the 32 foot circles will make for a very large amount of mesh.