The rink opened with its annual Winter Frolic event on Friday, December 2, and the ice was supposed to be open after that. Although it recently opened for the 2022-23 season, the hockey program is now being managed by the city, and Noll said it’s been a struggle to get it going.Ī $1.5 million renovation of the Halloran Park rink was completed a few years ago, but the roof leaks, which means the ice is sometimes unskatable. It was closed for a while during Covid, then hours and numbers were restricted. Unfortunately, accessing it has been more difficult in recent years. The rink underwent a $1.5 million renovation a few years ago, and as a result, the ice here sparkles like never before.
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They get hooked and love it, and it becomes their identity.”Īs part of Halloran Rec Center, the skating rink is a bit of a magical place, too – it’s the only public rink in the city, and anyone can skate here for free (it costs $1 to rent skates if you don’t have them). “These kids truly love this weird sport they didn’t even know existed. “I don’t hesitate to use the word ‘magical,’” said Nathan Noll, a hockey player and marketing manager at a cybersecurity company who coaches for the league.
Although the program was interrupted by Covid, it returned last year to serve dozens of kids in the West Boulevard and Jefferson neighborhoods. The program, called the Halloran Huskies, provides free equipment, ice time, coaching, and the chance to compete in hockey to Cleveland kids who otherwise might not get the chance to play at all. (Photo courtesy of Nathan Noll)įor the past 15 years, a group of hockey parents and community members have organized a free hockey program at Halloran Skating Rink on the city’s west side. Xavier Higgs, Nathan Noll, and Robert Lewis (l-r) at a hockey practice on March 12, 2020.
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