Community

Riverhead Town to officially open resurfaced hockey rink Saturday

Riverhead Town plans to officially open on Saturday the resurfaced hockey rink at Stotzky Park that will host roller hockey, deck hockey and pickleball.

A ribbon cutting is scheduled at 11 a.m. and the courts will be open to the public.

The new rink also contains five official pickleball courts to meet the growing demand for the sport, which is played on a court one-third the size of a tennis court with a paddle and a plastic ball that resembles a Wiffle ball.

“Many of our residents are avid pickleball players and they asked the town to install official courts,” Supervisor Sean Walter said in a news release. “I am very happy that we were able to accommodate their request so quickly.”

The new surface is a “full bodied, high performance acrylic latex coating designed by the DecoTurf company,” the town said in its news release. “This surface is more suitable for roller hockey than the previous surface as it is formulated to resist the abrasion expected on a competition-level, in-line or street hockey facility.”

Funds for the $20,000 project originated from developer’s fees that are placed into the Parks and Recreations fund, the town said. A savings from a separate project of new equipment at a playground at EPCAL allowed the project to move forward, the town said.

Last month, a roller derby league looking for new players gave a demonstration during roller disco night at Stotzky Park’s roller hockey rink. The league is hoping to recruit players.

Photo caption: The Strong Island Derby Revolution, which is currently the only roller derby league in Suffolk County, put on a demonstration at Stotzky Park last month to show people what the sport is about. (Courtesy photo)

Prior Coverage:

Riverhead Town shrinks skate park; adding pickleball court

Riverhead teens create online petition to save skate park