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1st Annual Pond Hockey Tournament a Big Success
Posted on February 21st, 2010 1 comment
“It was our first year, and we couldn’t have asked for a better response,” said Scott Crowder, organizer of the New England Pond Hockey Classic (NEPHC), “From the participants, to the sponsors, to the town of Meredith — and obviously the weather… the entire weekend went off without a hitch.”Nearly 500 players and 77 teams turned out for the first annual NEPHC tournament on Lake Winnipesaukee in Meredith, NH on the weekend of February 5th – 7th. With “baby blue skies and beautiful sunshine,” five divisions competed on 7 rinks simultaneously over the course of the weekend. On Sunday afternoon, five teams raised Lake WinnipeHockey’s Cup above their heads: in the Open Division – The Paddy’s from Lexington, MA, in the 30+ Division – The Frozen Hacks from Franklin, MA, in the 40+ Division – The Bumbles from Alton, NH, in the Legends Division – The Bud Heavies from Newburyport, MA, and in the Just for Fun Division – Montreal Todd from Woburn, MA.
“As this event goes forward, we would like to start expanding by at least being able to accommodate the 40 additional teams we had to wait-list this year,” said Crowder. “That would already bring us up to 120 teams, which, for only being in our second year of operation, would be incredible.” Crowder also has plans to add a women’s division to next year’s event. He estimates that there will be 12 – 13 rinks on the bay, and close to another 500 participants coming to the area for the weekend of February 4th – 6th, 2011. Crowder said he would like to have a youth tournament, as well, adding, “If we could get more kids out there playing, they’re going to fall in love with the sport of hockey.”
Since the tournament, Crowder has been receiving e-mails from folks in Meredith saying how nice it is to drive by the rinks and see people out there using them. “They said that for whatever reason before, kids wouldn’t go out on the lake and skate,” said Crowder. “Hopefully this will help the community and all the kids, have them start to play hockey, cause it’s such a fun sport.”
The purpose of the event was to “bring hockey back to the basics,” Crowder said. “The competition was very healthy, we didn’t have any fights, or anything of that nature. Everyone was able to have a good time. It was nice to see something that we put together help out the local businesses and give the hockey community of the region something to come out for. That was extremely positive.”
Crowder is “very thankful for the town of Meredith… for all of our sponsors—they were huge in helping us pull this off. Also the volunteers – a special thanks to them.” He says that next year’s tournament is going to be even bigger, and they will definitely need more “passionate volunteers, the people who want to come out and have some fun helping us out.”
So mark your calendars for next year, and hopefully we’ll see you out on the ice!
Pond Hockey on Lake Winnipesaukee
Sources:
http://www.pondhockeyclassic.com/2010_Tourney.html
http://www.nesn.com/2010/02/pond-hockey-takes-center-stage-at-festive-nh-tournament.html
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Meredith Hosts First Annual Pond Hockey Classic Tournament
Posted on January 28th, 2010 No commentsGet ready for another busy weekend in the village—The New England Pond Hockey Classic will be held February 5th through the 7th and will bring together 77 teams from across the northeast to compete on seven rinks that are ready on the ice of Meredith Bay.
Pond hockey is a form of ice hockey that is a traditional winter game played by pick-up teams on a natural frozen body of water in northern towns. “It’s going to be a throwback experience, like going back in time to hockey’s roots, to the real basics. People have a lot of good memories of pond hockey and that’s really how the game was born,” said Scott Crowder, tournament director.
The 3-day tournament will accommodate adult teams in five different age divisions. Games will be played in a four-on-four, no goalie, round-robin format, with small, six-inch high goals. “That discourages slap shots and makes accuracy and passing a big part of the game,” Crowder said. There will be no referees, but instead a rink monitor who will ensure that the competitive spirit of the players stays in place.
The New England Pond Hockey Classic (NEPHC) has partnered with four non-profits: The Greater Meredith Program, Restore Hockey, Lakes Region Youth Hockey and the Special Olympics of NH. All will be present throughout the course of the weekend hoping to raise some money to benefit their missions. NEPHC will hold a silent auction and raffle in the Chase House Flagship Ballroom on Friday and Saturday from 9:00 – 5:00, with all proceeds going to benefit the non-profit partners.
NEPHC is also planning two socials to take place in the Flagship Ballroom. On Friday evening, tournament participants and guests can be merry while watching the Hockey East game live on NESN, and at the Saturday night social, winners of the Silent Auction and Raffle will be announced. Both events will have a cash bar and light fare provided by the Common Man Restaurant.
“We have received a wonderful response from participants, sponsors, and volunteers alike,” says Crowder. “We currently have over 35 teams on a wait list for the tournament. We have over 60 volunteers and a number of wonderful sponsors on board to help make this event a great success in its first year.”
Crowder, the founder of Ekal Excursions LLC, which was formed to promote the Lakes Region lifestyle year-round, says, “I couldn’t be happier to call Lake Winnipesaukee and Meredith my home. Visitors during tournament weekend will truly feel like they have traveled back in time as they pull into the village with its charming character and old New England architecture and see a frozen lake filled with pond hockey rinks.”
Crowder says the New England Pond Hockey Classic is looking to run an event that will grow over the years and ultimately involve multiple locations around the lake for much larger tournaments. “It’s nice to provide this opportunity for pond hockey players from New England. We hope the Pond Hockey Classic will become an annual event for the players of this region for years to come.”
Can’t make it to the event? Thanks to InterLakes.TV, you can watch the 2010 New England Pond Hockey Classic from the comfort of your own home! Some videos will be pre-recorded and others will be streamed live from Lake Winnipesaukee. Please visit www.interlakes.tv to watch the action!
Pond Hockey Tournament in Maine:
sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pond_hockey