Rock the Rink raises funds for autism

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The second annual Rock the Rink fundraiser hit the Long Beach Ice Arena on April 18. Families from the Long Beach Applecore hockey league worked together to put on the tournament and raise money for Autism Speaks Long Island through donations, ticket sales and concessions. The event raised around $5,000 last year, and organizers said they expect to hit a similar total again this year.

Though the power in the arena went out about an hour into the tournament, the competitors played through in the dark. The city brought in a generator and the mobile bandstand so that the festivities could continue outside throughout the day. Players in three different age groups — mites, squirts and pee wees — faced off in a four-on-four pond hockey tournament. Competitors were mostly Long Beach residents, but some neighboring hockey organizations participated as well.

In addition to the hockey tournament, art students from Long Beach High School designed carnival games and local bands performed throughout the day. Child acts from Studio Noir played as well as the Park Avenue band and dancers from the Hagen-Kavanagh School of Irish Dance.