Central Islip hockey league gets assist from Islanders

In the early 1970s a Roman Catholic priest at St. John of God parish in Central Islip started a roller hockey league that initially attracted a few dozen youths. Today, it has grown into one of the largest leagues on Long Island with some 400 players.

On Friday, the team marked a major renovation of its rink, which was rebuilt with help from the Islanders.

"Now we have a true NHL [style] rink," said Anthony Ceccarini, the league's commissioner. "It's a great outlet and a safe haven for these kids to participate in."

The redone rink included the installation of a new asphalt floor after the original became riddled with cracks. The league also acquired used ice hockey rink boards and Plexiglas to replace layers of rotting plywood that used to surround the rink.

The project cost about $120,000. Some of it was raised with the help of the Islanders, who offered the league heavily discounted tickets to an Islanders game. The tickets were sold at a higher price, and the difference went as a donation to the rink.

The St. John of God organization is "a phenomenal league - it's the best," said Steve Beisel, a senior executive in the Islanders sales department who helped arrange for the team's involvement and who used to play in the league.

Besides getting the league the used boards and Plexiglas, the Islanders also took the top three youth fundraisers on road trips, Beisel said. They went to games in Atlanta and Pittsburgh, rode on the team's chartered plane, stayed in the same hotel and sat on the bench during morning warm-up skates before night games.

Representatives of the Islanders attended Friday night's ribbon-cutting, and an Islander seal adorns one of the boards.

The league, which is part of the CYO, is not only about sports, Ceccarini said. It is also about promoting good sportsmanship and maintaining ties to the church. The Rev. Christopher Nowak, the new pastor at St. John of God, offered a blessing at Friday's dedication.

Besides the Islanders logo on the board, the league has placed another logo in honor of the Rev. James Kissane, the parish's former pastor who died after a brief battle with cancer last year at the age of 44.