Every day after school about 6-10 students drive to the Buffalo Civic Center just as they would any other day during hockey season. Though the season ended over a month ago, there is still ice time available for those who are either very dedicated, or those who just want to have some fun.
“I go sometimes because I want to be better next year as a sophomore,” said Freshman Sam Klein. “Plus it’s really fun. Most of the time we scrimmage, but sometimes we don’t have enough people so we just mess around.”
Open Hockey is available everyday after school until about 4:30 PM. There is no cost to skate and anyone can go. Skates, gloves, a helmet, and a stick are all required to skate at Open Hockey.
“I would definitely suggest wearing all of your hockey gear, or most of it anyways. That way you can go as hard as you can when we scrimmage without having to worry about getting hurt,” said Klein.
Though Open Hockey is generally for high school students, returning alumni from Buffalo High School occasionally show up for the fun.
“I come as often as I can,” said Josh Franke, a former member of the Buffalo Boys Varsity Hockey Team. “I really miss my old teammates, and luckily there’s Open Hockey so I have a chance to skate with them again.”
