Venue Change Disappoints Fans, Salem Rocks Do Not

Saturday afternoon saw many cheers for the varsity hockey team as it edged out the Livonia Churchill Chargers 7–5. But the excitement was tempered by a lingering disappointment over plans that fell through to have the game played at an outdoor rink in an effort to raise money for a local charity.

The Livonia-Salem contest was supposed to be played on outdoors at Detroit’s Clark Park, one of many on the slate for the day as part of a fundraising effort for Hockey has Heart.

“It was unfortunate that the kids couldn’t play outdoors,” said Keith Berg, Salem Rocks team manager, “especially because it was part of a larger program, which unfortunately got canceled.”

Officials for Hockey has Heart, a non-profit organization which aids needy families who are a part of Michigan’s amateur hockey community, realized early in December that it was going to come up short of the resources needed to host the event.

 “It was kind of a neat thing,” said John Ossenmacher, father of Salem Rocks’ Head Coach, Ryan Ossenmacher.  “We were looking forward to doing it.”

He explained the team was contacted by Hockey has Heart midway through December (as were all teams involved) and urged to secure ice time elsewhere for their game because they couldn’t afford the requisite permits or to properly staff all of the games.

The sentiment was echoed on the Churchill side of the bleachers, as the mothers of Churchill players expressed their regret for the move indoors.

“The boys were really excited to play outdoors,” said Terri Proben, mother of twin Churchill Chargers Ben and Nick. “They really were looking forward to playing pond hockey.”

Despite the setback, the two squads played a tightly contested game, as the packed bleachers roared, screamed and stomped their feet to the beat of a combined 12 goals.

The high-scoring affair saw both teams throwing their full weight at one another from the start. Livonia Churchill netted the game’s first goal and led a first-period push that had the Salem Rocks on their heels.

They’re really tired looking,” said John Ossenmacher, explaining that the team wore themselves out the night before in 3–3 tie with Muskegon Mona Shores, a game that didn’t end until 11 p.m.

The Rocks bounced back, though, largely on the effort of the team's captain, senior Ryan Quigley, who scored three goals in the win, which put the brakes on Churchill’s three-game winning streak.

Quigley’s mom, Joan, beamed from the start.

“We have a really good team this year,” she said, adding that while the game had been moved indoors the kids were still determined to stay focused – and to keep the positive energy flowing.