CAZENOVIA — In Dec. 2020, Cazenovia Central School District put the Boys Varsity Ice Hockey season on pause when the rink at SUNY Morrisville became unavailable due to COVID-19.

Unwilling to give up on the season, Laker parents sought permission to use the outdoor Burton Street hockey rink for skates.

Cazenovia resident Mark Costello, who has played ice hockey nearly all his life, manages both the hockey and “pedestrian” rinks.

“You will not find a more passionate guy,” said Kelly McCrink, mother of freshman goalie Cy McCrink. “He works through the nights to make sure it’s ready for people to enjoy. What a treasure we have.”

According to Nicki Donlin, mother of hockey player Jack Donlin, the team was able to get in a number of pre-season skates and practices at the rink before it closed for the season.

“I’ve skated on the Burton Street rink since I first learned to skate,” said Jack, who is a freshman. “There is nothing like playing hockey outside on a cold winter day. We’ll drive a long way to get on the ice and play hockey. It’s such a gift to be able to play with friends young and old in Cazenovia. Mr. Costello coached me when I was really young, and I’ve always appreciated the effort he and others put into getting an outdoor rink in Cazenovia. It’s a special part of living in a place like Cazenovia.”

Costello said he thought it was great to see so many people out on the ice this winter.

“Because the hockey rink was being used, it got some publicity and a little bit more public interest,” he said. “As a result, other people were using it too. The pedestrian rink also got a lot of use. A lot of people who hadn’t known about the facility now know about it. It was kind of one of those perfect storm scenarios. This year, we had 37 days of good ice, whereas last year, we only had 13. Those kids probably wouldn’t have been able to play here last year, because there was no real continuity to the ice. Mother Nature has a lot to say about how our year goes.”

Back in the 1970s, when Costello played hockey for the Lakers, the team practiced at the Burton Street rink.

A couple of years ago, the rink manager was involved with the “Boards for Bob” fundraiser, which raised about $5,000 to install plywood around the inside of the hockey rink.

According to Costello, most of the support came from community members who had fond memories of the rink growing up.

“It’s named after Bob Kelly, who was my coach when I was a kid,” Costello said. “He had a big hand in starting Caz Youth Hockey and in starting the high school hockey program. He’s the reason those rinks are there. Early in the ’60s, they pledged that piece of property, so he could put a skating facility in. Before that, they were going down to the pier at Lakeland Park. They brought in the fire trucks and flooded the low, flat area there and let it freeze.”

With the boards recently installed, the hockey rink was in good shape going into this winter, Costello said.

“Then, all of the sudden, it was getting so much use that [it started to show some wear],” he added.

Recognizing that the rink is in need of improvement, some of the Laker parents decided to raise funds to help support the work.

McCrink and Donlin have been particularly involved in the fundraising effort.

“All three of our sons — as well as three exchange students that we have hosted over the years — play or have played for the high school,” said McCrink. “This program means so much to our family, which is why we are working so hard to make it better. The Burton Street Rink is a treasure [that] needs more attention so it will continue to bless us.”

According to McCrink, the Morrisville IcePlex will not be reopening its second sheet of ice.

“The Lakers, as well as the Center State Youth Hockey Club, will lose their home,” she said. “One sheet of ice can’t support the Morrisville college teams along with the high school and the youth teams. If you don’t have ice available to the younger kids, the Laker program will disappear [because it won’t have] enough players to compete. We are not born with blades on our feet; [hockey] is a sport that takes years and years of practice, on ice.”

To help support improvements to the Burton Street rink, McCrink created a commemorative pillow based on a picture she took at the team’s first skate on Jan. 28.

McKenzie Houseman, owner of 20|EAST on Albany Street, has been selling the pillows for $40 and donating all revenues to the rink.

“McKenzie sells some of my creations already, so I gave her a ring to see if she would interested in being a pick-up point for the pillows sales,” McCrink recalled. “Being a daughter and sister of past Laker players, as well as a very supportive local business, she agreed. Due to her social media followers and wonderful shop customers, she connected with past Lakers that neither Nicki nor I would have ever reached. Pillows have been shipped all over the globe . . . I made every piece sold. It was a true labor of love and I would do it again for the love of the game.”

McCrink’s shop, “By Kelly,” contributed $700 worth of pillow supplies. Donlin, along with Todd and Jill Bennett of Total Lawn Care & Landscaping, also made donations.

According to McCrink, the Burton Street Rink pillows raised a total of $4,170.

Donlin, whose sons have played baseball and hockey at the Burton Street complex for the past decade, said her dream would be to have ice on the rink all winter.

“As those dreams are worked out, we would like to see updates to the hockey goals, gadgets and pushers to help first-time skaters (hockey or casual), a skate sharpener and accessories, [and] perhaps more new boards and benches,” she added. “There’s a lot that could be done.”

To help support the fundraising effort, Donlin worked to facilitate online donations.

“I’m an active parent who has been on several boards in the community, including the Cazenovia Area Community Development Association (CACDA),” she said. “As the public attention, then media attention, started to build for the ‘Rink of Dreams,’ I suggested using the CACDA resources to help raise money for some immediate rink benefit.”

On Jan. 29, Donlin announced on the “Burton St Rink” Facebook page that CACDA had agreed to accept donations to the rink through its website.

According to Donlin, the donation link was inspired by the public response to McCrink’s pillows.

“People loved [them], but they were also asking how else they could donate or support the rink,” Donlin said. “I wrote a quick text to CACDA Executive Director Lauren Lines, and she never hesitated in her support. We used the CACDA donation portal immediately . . . It was very emotional to see all the support come in, whether financially or just [through] encouraging words.”

According to Donlin, 37 people, from four states and two countries (US and Australia), donated to the CACDA online fund.

Last month, Community Bank donated $2,000 to the effort.

“Nicki and Kelly really stepped up and did a wonderful fundraiser to improve the rink for our kids and generations to come,” said Community Bank District Manager Barbara Houghton. “With life the way it is, the rink was a place our whole community was able to take advantage of. I think someday we will look back at [the past year] with all the bad and remember this [effort as an example of] what happens in a small town — we take care of each other. Community Bank feels very strongly about taking care of our community, and this is why I am so proud to work for this company.”

As of March 24, the fundraisers had raised a total of $11,561 from pillow sales, a “Skate with a Laker” bake sale ($102), individual donations ($5,289), and the Community Bank contribution.

“Mark Costello has been working to improve the rink each year, and I’m happy there are going to be some funds available to help him achieve some of his dreams,” said Donlin.

According to Costello, potential plans for the facility include replacing the 1960s building on the premises — which is currently not open to the public — and leveling both the pedestrian rink and the hockey rink, which was originally installed as part of a community skate park.

“The bottom of it is like a big bowl,” Costello said. “There [are drains] you can plug, so you could fill it up with water and it would act like a pond you could freeze. But that really hasn’t worked out that well. They are talking about making that rink level, so you just go in there, put your six inches of water in, and it will freeze. You wouldn’t have to wait for all 10 inches of water to freeze. Plus, the lacrosse kids could use that level surface too.”

Costello said McCrink and Donlin’s fundraising success was amazing.

“I’m holding my breath and waiting to see how much money they raised,” he said on March 22 before the final count. “People from all over are sending money in and buying those pillows. I had a friend from Toronto, who I played with up at Oswego, calling me about the pillows.”

For updates on the pedestrian and hockey rinks, visit the “Burton St Rink” Facebook page.