Dasher Boards enhance local roller rink

Last week, members of the Middle Village Roller Hockey League received as nice surprise as they returned to the roller rink at Juniper Valley Park to find new dasher boards to enclose the playing surface just in time for the playoffs.
Thanks to a $65,000 grant made possible through mayoral funds, Parks and Recreation was able to make the improvements to the rink during a three-week period in March.
“They are a very good group, and they run a wonderful program for youth in the area,” Queens Parks and Recreation Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski said. For her efforts in helping secure the funds and make the improvements to the rink, the Middle Village Roller Hockey League asked Lewandowski to drop the ceremonial first puck before a playoff game last weekend.
Lewandowski said that her organization worked with the league in order to minimize disruptions to game schedules and worked to make sure it finished the improvements in time for the finals.
The new dasher boards serve to separate the players from the spectators, which is crucial to ensuring the safety of both groups.