Door County could become a haven for amateur hockey with the right facilities and determination from local communities. That's Joe Baldarotta's belief and goal. Baldarotta is a retired collegiate hockey coach who won the 1993 NCAA Division III hockey championship at U-W Stevens Point and trained Olympic-caliber players at Lake Placid, New York. He now manages the community ice rink at Sister Bay, which is an outdoor facility subject to the right winter conditions. Baldrotta says there is interest in hockey at all age levels here and the ability to make artificial ice could help grow that interest.
Baldarotta says milder conditions over the past several winters have made it impossible to make ice in December at the Sister Bay rink. The same holds true for the only other Door County rink in Sturgeon Bay.
(Photo courtesy: Theresa K. Hilander Community Ice Rink FaceBook page)