Hounds help clean up Woodland rinks

Back in May, the Woodland hockey rinks were vandalized. On Thursday, parents and kids of the Woodland Area Hockey Association (WAHA) rolled up their sleeves to help clean up and they were joined by some Greyhounds.

Around 20 players from the Duluth East High School team joined in to help with the clean up efforts. They along with WAHA parents and youth players scrubbed the spray paint off the rink glass, boards and players boxes. The players even helped cut the grass so rink managers can get ready to paint.

All three outdoor rinks were damaged, but with the extra hands, they know they can get the area back to looking good for the community.

"Well it’s disappointing for sure," said East senior Ben LaMaster about the damage. "We grew up at these rinks. It’s not cool to see. We just want to get out here and give back to the community.

"We’re just coming together as a team doing more team activities and doing it together, just feels really good," said East junior Aidan Spenningsby.

"It’s just inspiring to watch these older kids come back and help the younger kids. To show them what real role models are supposed to be like," said Mike Consie, the president of the Woodland Amateur Hockey Association. "To show them we take care about our public, we take care of things and make sure it’s nice for everybody to enjoy."

WAHA has about 90 youth kids in the association. They hope to continue making the Duluth area an outdoor rink ratting destination.