Auburn's rink manager leaving for New Jersey

AUBURN — Ice rink Manager Joshua MacDonald will bid goodbye to the rink he helped open last fall, moving on to a job in New Jersey.

MacDonald said his last day at the Norway Savings Bank Arena will be Thursday, March 6.

“I’ve had an absolute blast,” MacDonald said. “This is one of the dream jobs. The hardest part is that the opportunity arose for another type of dream — to return my family to New Jersey to be with my wife’s family.”

MacDonald came aboard as manager of the arena in July. A former hockey official and land-use planner, he most recently worked in corporate sales.

MacDonald said he was unable to discuss what he will be doing in New Jersey, but he said he plans to stay involved with hockey to some degree.

“I will always be involved in hockey,” he said. “I’ve been refereeing for 23 years, so I will always be involved.”

Assistant City Manager Howard Kroll will act as a temporary manager for the ice arena while the city looks for a permanent replacement.

“We obviously will not have a person in place for his departure, but we do have a team structure that will work on it,” City Manager Clinton Deschene said.

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