Lennon MacPherson, left, and Joyce Leviten-Reid joined four fellow hockey players in practicing their stickhandling on a homemade rink in the parking lot of the former Southend Community Centre on Hillview Street in Sydney on Monday. The rink was made by Robert Coates and his sons Neo and Easton Coates, who were also on the ice. The family put water in a five-gallon plastic garbage can and pulled it up the hill by sled. Robert Coates told the Cape Breton Post the family made 30-to-40 trips up to the parking lot with the water. The ice was smooth with very little bumps, making for ideal skating conditions. Unfortunately, Coates anticipated the rink being washed away Tuesday and Wednesday with the latest storm rolling through the area. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST.