Saugus rink is home of the Warrior hockey teams
SAUGUS — It just may be a good thing that the Warrior boys’ and girls’ hockey teams are done for the season. That’s the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety abruptly closed the Kasabuski Arena, the home rink of the Wakefield teams, indefinitely Saturday due to a public safety emergency condition.
The unexpected closure resulted in the indefinite cancellation of all hockey games and practices as well as other activity at the ice rink.
The safety emergency was a result of unsafe snow loads on the roof and the blocking of emergency public exits by a large amount of snow.
Rink manager Dan Maniff said the rink was closed for precautionary reasons, not structural issues, and he is waiting for the OK to reopen.
Maniff said there’s nothing that can be done in the meantime but when open, hundreds of people use the rink daily, including school teams and figure skaters.
But this closing isn’t unique to Saugus.
According to William Hickey, acting press secretary at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, which oversees municipal rinks in the state, in addition to Metropolis in Canton, where the roof collapsed, other closings were Veterans Memorial Rink in Waltham and Murphy Skating Rink in South Boston.
“We have a contractual relationship and advised them to remove the snow from the roof,” Hickey said. “The Department of Public Safety likely closed it due to the Canton incident.”
