Iced Out When Rink Closed, Pandemic Hit, Youth Hockey Makes Comeback

EAST HAVEN, CT — When the Veteran's Memorial Ice Rink had to be shuttered in March 2020 due to years of disrepair, East Haven Mayor Joseph A. Carfora said at the time, that closure coincided with the terrible dawn of the coronavirus pandemic.

With no rink, ice hockey players in East Haven and nearby communities, had to move to other rinks, other programs. And though, as Ed Strosnick noted, while there were COVID-19-era learn-to-skate programs, there were "no travel teams in East Haven as we did not have a rink."

So, in 2021, Strosnick, a Branford resident, and Jason Anderson, an East Haven police officer, began to coach a group of players at a skate program held in the Ralph Walker Rink in New Haven. The two men played hockey at East Haven Youth Hockey, and at East Haven High School.

"We wanted to see the program that made us fall in love with the sport get back to the strong and well-known program it once was," Strosnick said.

Strosnick, director of rehabilitation at Connecticut Orthopaedics, has a 6-year-old son named Eddie. Anderson has a young son named Jace.

By 2022, as the newly renovated East Haven rink was slated to re-open, Strosnick and Anderson "decided to start a Mite travel team with all kids with no hockey experience."

Called a "source of pride for the community," and a recreation asset by Mayor Carfora, the rink major renovation was completed by late 2022 and by January 2023, skates hit the ice.

"The kids grew (as players) exponentially throughout the year, becoming competitive by the end of the year," Strosnick said. "In 2023, the team, composed of kids from age 6 to 8, now has one year of hockey experience and is now doing well with a 15-3-2 record."

And, the little team that could, competed at the 'Haunted Shootout' holiday tournament, finishing with a 4-1-1 record and finishing in 2nd place, Strosnick said.

The team includes kids from East Haven, Branford, and Guilford.

"My hope is that kids from all these towns learn about us as we're trying to recruit and build back our program," Strosnick said. He noted that while there's currently one team, "next year we want to add several more."

Learn more here about East Haven Youth Hockey.

For info on joining, email edward.strosnick@gmail.com