Plans underway for new deck hockey rink in Crystal Lake’s Woodscreek Park

Plans are underway to raise money for a new ball hockey rink at Woodscreek Park in Crystal Lake.

So far, vague conceptual drawings have been created for the park, Crystal Lake Park District Executive Director Jason Herbster said.

“The sport of deck hockey, as they call it, is becoming very popular,” Herbster said.

An exact timeline for developing the the rink hasn’t been established yet, Herbster said, but one should be fleshed out in the next month or so. As of now, the space is planned as an outdoor ball hockey rink with a concrete surface, to be used for leagues, programs, summer camps, free play and more, just to the east of the picnic pavilion at Woodscreek.

“The big part of it is going to be once the funding is in place,” Herbster said.

The idea for the ball hockey rink stems from a local tragedy – the death of five-year-old Crystal Lake boy, AJ Freund, who was murdered by his mother and whose father covered it up.

When Crystal Lake resident Kenny McCudden, the assistant coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets, heard about it, it broke his heart and made him want to create a safe environment for children.

As a hockey coach who used to work with kids in the community, McCudden’s thoughts turned to the children who don’t have an opportunity to play because of financial restrictions. Ice skates, sticks and joining a league can cost a lot, McCudden said, but ball hockey is more accessible.

McCudden said they will work on providing equipment, such as sticks, helmets and gloves, for the kids to use at the facility.

After months of studying outdoor ball hockey facilities, McCudden presented his idea to the park district board, whose members were receptive to the idea.

Work is already being done to fundraise. McCudden said he has a lot of friends in the industry, who he’s hoping will help out.

For the rink, McCudden said, he would like to see low-dome lighting, so light from the rink doesn’t reflect into the neighborhoods, and infrastructure that will withstand the elements.

“When you’re looking at a facility like this, you’re looking at a wonderful piece of concrete. It’s got to be done by the right people, people that have done it before,” McCudden said.

This ball hockey rink will be the first project for the Crystal Lake Parks Initiative Foundation, which is the park district’s fundraising arm. Foundation President Bryan Younge said they are still in the embryonic stages of raising donations, which they are able to receive through the website, social media, or snail mail.

“The demeanor that the board has is that we are very much hitting the ground running,” Younge said.

Very preliminary estimates put the cost of a ball hockey rink anywhere from $250,000 to $500,000, Herbster said. In comparison, McCudden said, ice hockey rinks can cost millions of dollars to build.

“I think it’ll get done well, and it’ll get done pretty efficiently and provide a good new outlet for the families in our community,” Herbster said.