It doesn’t get much more Canadian than this. A Moncton, N.B., hotel has turned a section of its underground parking garage into a ball hockey rink, perfect for teams travelling to the city for tournaments. The 60-by-20-foot rink at the Hilton Garden Inn Moncton Downtown has blue and red lines, four-foot-high boards with mesh fencing and two regulation-size nets. “It’s pretty cool, I like it,” said Sophie Fortier, a member of the U-13 Metro West Force. “It’s really nice.” Teammate Jessie Shadbolt was blown away. “It’s my first time seeing anything like this. It’s great. It’s super awesome,” said Jessie. There’s even a section for the parents, where hockey moms and dads can sit, have a beverage or two and talk about their rising stars. “This is so Canadian. It’s amazing, actually,” said Nicole Hinkley who came from Halifax for the Fall Freeze tournament. “To actually have a facility that we can let them be free and have their time with their sticks and bond as a team. Normally, most places they can’t even do their mini sticks in the hallways.” The hotel has a hit on their hands. General manager Francis Goguen said the rink has been getting a lot of attention on social media and local and international media outlets have reached out to them. When teams arrive and they’re not aware there’s a ball hockey rink in the basement it comes as quite the surprise. “Nobody has it that I know of. Maybe a couple out west or in the States, but when they go down, they say, ‘This is awesome,’” said Goguen. The rink was completed about a year ago, but the hotel staff got the idea when they opened in 2020. It started very small with a couple of hockey nets and a few balls, but maintenance man Maurice LeBlanc finished the project last fall in a couple of days. “He can fix or build anything,” said Goguen. After two straight wins on the ice Friday, the girls from the Metro West Force still had plenty of energy for an evening game. “It’s pretty cool. It’s pretty convenient. Teams can come here and practice their shots,” said Meika Rumbolt. Not only is it a great way to burn a few hours between games or wind down the day, it’s also great bonding for travelling teams. “It’s unique that we can have an indoor little shooting rink to practice and play ball hockey with each other,” said Emily Shupe. For now, it’s first come first serve for players, but Goguen thinks that may have to change. “We haven’t implemented a schedule,” said Goguen. “We feel maybe this is the year that we have to do it.” For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
