Winona Daily News Campus Connection
March 13, 2022

MSC Southeast students build mini mite hockey goals for neighborhood ice rinks

It all began when Alex Tipton, a local dentist and devoted hockey dad, took his kids to the neighborhood rink.  

"I have three kids, two that can already skate. But we got tired of dragging these cheap little plastic goals down there, especially because they kept getting get knocked over," said Alex. "I got thinking that it would be nice to have real goals that were the right size for the kids." 

He thought about buying a pair of goals and donating them for his local ice sheet, but really, he wanted five pairs -- ten goals total -- so rinks all around the city could be equipped. 

He mentioned the idea to Tom Hoffman, the head of facilities at Minnesota State College Southeast. Tom figured it might be a good service-learning project for the college's welding and auto body students.  

Pat Menton, Assistant Recreation Director for the City of Winona, agreed to provide the nets for the goals and store them in the off season.  

An assembly line in Welding Lab

MSC Southeast welding instructor Casey Mann's students don't usually tackle custom fabrication work in the first semester. But having built a 16-foot-tall Christmas tree for the Winona Main Street program in November, Casey thought they would be up for another challenge in December.  

Their first task was to compile a list of all the materials they would need -- 1.25 inch steel pipe and heavy gauge wire. Helping keep expenses low, materials were provided at cost by Winona Welding and Sandblasting, Inc. They also wrote out a list of all the cut lengths that would be required. 

Next, the students set up an assembly line. They started by building a jig to hold the parts in place during construction. Some students cut the steel pipe to the necessary lengths. Some put them into the jig where they were tacked together. Others did the final welding of all the parts.  

The next step was the finish and deburring work. "I always tell my students that for all welding projects, you should think of a two-year-old's soft hands. Are the edges smooth enough to be safe?" said Casey. "But for this project, that was especially true!" 

Off to Auto Body

It took about a week to weld up all of the goals. Then they were sent over to the Auto Body Collision Technology shop to be painted.  

Auto Body instructor Brandon Boynton worked with his first-year students on painting the goals red. It was the first time they were able to paint with color. Up to that time they had only worked with primer operations. 

Painting the goals presented problems not typically seen in Auto Body. Usually the students work with flat surfaces; the goals required a 360 degree application of product. 

"The odd shapes challenged their technique. They had to be thorough to get to the whole surface," said Brandon, adding, "The more time I can get my students behind the spray guns, the better."  

With three coats of enamel applied, there was one more step to complete. The nets had to be attached to each goal by hand, an intricate weaving and knotting process that required a tremendous amount of hand labor.   

Rink manager Mark Meisel and his staff took care of tying the nets. "Rumor has it that it took 4-6 hours per goal just to tie the knots," Alex related. 

Better than store bought

The finished hockey goals are better than store bought. "What we have is top of the line, solid, no bolts or screws holding it together," said Alex. "These hockey goals are going to last a long, long time."  

When the goals were dropped off at his neighborhood rink, they made a big impression. Alex wasn't there, but said he heard that the kids were just swarming around the goals.  

"It was really a perfect collaboration that brought together the strengths of the Winona community. The students at Minnesota State College Southeast got hands-on experience. The City Parks and Rec Department helped out and a Winona business discounted materials for it," Alex said.  

He added, "It shows how Winona is a 'yes' community - people are willing to try things to benefit the community and make it a good place to live."  

Photos and captions: 

• Top: Teddy and Lucy Tipton show off the hockey goals.
• Center: Teddy Tipton, Maya Donnenwerth, and Lucy Tipton play hockey as Alex Tipton looks on. 
• Bottom: Back Row: Alex Tipton, Casey Mann, MSC Southeast welding instructor, and Pat Menton, City of Winona Assistant Recreation Director; Front Row: Teddy Tipton, Lucy Tipton