Saugus hockey program takes home games on road

SAUGUS – School hockey teams in Saugus will be skating over to Salem State College for 2010-2011 season games now that discussions have fallen apart with management at Kasabuski Arena.Superintendent Richard Langlois issued a press release this week placing the blame for the move squarely on the shoulders of the management of Kasabuski Arena.”After continuous negotiation with the operators of the Kasabuski Hockey Rink we were unable to secure a practice schedule and/or arrangement for games that serves the best interest of our hockey team and the school district’s use of the facility,” Langlois wrote. “The operators of the rink were unwilling to relinquish control over either the gate receipts or the cost of ice time; preferring the financial benefit to controlling both.”Langlois said practices would continue at the Kasabuski Arena but the upcoming season games would be held at the rink at Salem State College.”Moving to Salem State College for games is both cost effective and beneficial to our hockey community,” he said. “We believe that maintaining practices at the Kasabuski protects the safety and welfare of all student participants with regard to travel and does not compromise their ability to perform well in school.”Langlois said the district would transport players to both home and away games.Saugus High hockey co-captain Ralph Paglucca was disappointed to hear news of the move Thursday.”It’s awful,” he said. “We’re probably going to have to take buses and it’s just going to be a mess. It’s such a shame for the program – we’ve won championships (at Kasabuski). With all that history there, it’s horrible.”The school district has had a relationship with Kasabuski for more than two decades and Langlois said the school department is committed to finding a way to return to its home ice.”The town is working toward assurances that all leases and regulations are adhered to and that relations between both parties improve,” he said. “In response to the town’s legal action, the operators at the rink have indicated that we can no longer store hockey equipment in the locker room, and the ice logo and banners are now at the operator’s discretion as to their future placement or display. It was our hope that the operators would make Saugus a priority at the rink and accommodate us accordingly. Unfortunately it was not meant to be.”Paglucca, who will be a senior in the fall, has played at Kasabuski since eighth grade. He said it will not be the same skating at Salem State.”All four years (at Kasabuski) were great,” he said. “It was awesome to have a home rink and see all your banners. There’s nothing like it. All of our fans and all of our friends would come to games. Now they’ll be a decrease in that because travel is obviously going to be an issue.”The dispute between the town and the management of Kasabuski Hockey Rink started in late 2008, after the town awarded the management contract to Daniel Maniff.Town Manager Andrew Bisignani put the rink out to bid in the winter of 2008 in order to get out from under a nearly $1 million deficit that was hanging over the rink and therefore the town. Under the bid agreement the town would maintain a lease with DCR but the town could sublease the property to a third party with Department of Conservation and Recreation approval.In earlier interviews, Bisignani said the bidding process for leasing the rink was very public and done according to state statute. Initially, the Kasabuski Partnership of Lynnfield was awarded the bid in May 2008. By August, negotiations and finances partnership fell apart and the rink was put back out to bid. The contract was then awarded to Maniff.Maniff did not immediately return calls for comment Wednesday.