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Ceiling collapses during youth hockey practice

A youth hockey coach in Massachusetts narrowly avoided tragedy on Feb. 28, likely saving the lives of several of his Norwood Youth Hockey players.

About two dozen kids were taking the ice at Canton Metropolis Skating Rink around 7 a.m. when the coach heard a loud snap over his head. He immediately yelled for everyone to clear the ice, and they are lucky he did.

Less than a minute later, the roof came crashing down. As reported by New England Cable News (NECN), no one was injured.

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“We were like, ‘Why are we alive?'” coach Mike Fanizzi told NECN. “We just looked at each other. … Right as we get to probably where the penalty box is, one of the other coaches and a mother went past us, and the roof collapsed right in front of us.”

Another coach added that at least seven players had been standing right where the pieces of roof landed.

The Canton fire department said the roof collapsed under the weight of the snow piled on top. The Boston area has been pummeled by near-record amounts of snow this winter (about three more inches and the city will pass its all-time seasonal record).

NECN adds that a Feb. 27 state survey of the rink raised concerns about the amount of snow on the roof, but there is no word on why the rink wasn't closed down at that point. The rink is owned by the state but managed by the town of Canton.

The state has since reached out to all other non-state-run rinks to encourage them to check their roofs.