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Pond Hockey Championship Celebrates 10th Anniversary

01/21/2015, 9:00am MST
By USA Hockey

Skates are sharpened, Eagle River is Waiting

Skates are sharpened, Dollar Lake is frozen, and in less than a month, players from across the nation will converge in Eagle River, Wisconsin, for a weekend of shinny. That’s right, it’s Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championship time.

Feb. 6-8, 2015, marks the 10th year of what has become a staple tournament in USA Hockey’s adult program. More than 300 teams registered for the 2015 event in just 10 minutes. It’s reflective of what players and fans continue to confirm:

There’s no better tournament out there.

USA Hockey Adult Hockey Manager Scott Aldrich tells us what makes the Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championship so special.

USA Hockey: Did you ever imagine this tournament would grow to be as big as it has?

Scott Aldrich: Never. In fact, the first year was probably our coldest year, and I thought, “No one is going to come back to this again,” because it was so bitterly cold. But we doubled it the next year and doubled it again the third year. Before we knew it, we were up over 300 teams and we’re pushing that 340-team mark again this year. Going back to that first year with 40 teams and now looking at near 400 in our 10th year, that’s amazing growth and a pretty amazing following. Now the (Eagle River) volunteer firemen need to plow 30 rinks for us.

It’s almost a blessing and a curse, because you don’t want it to get too big where it’s unmanageable, but you certainly want the demand and we have that.

USA Hockey: A big part of that demand is thanks to the environment surrounding the tournament. What makes the fun on and off the ice?

Aldrich: People do tend to have a few Labatt Blues – our tournament sponsor – over the weekend, so that’s always fun. Over the years, people have really developed friendships. They keep in touch with each other after the tournament, whether they were on the same team or not. (Players) look forward to getting up there and seeing all of their hockey buddies. It’s camaraderie.

USA Hockey: Eagle River has been the host city since the first year in 2006. What makes that town the go-to spot?

Aldrich: We couldn’t do any of this without the community and town of Eagle River. They help set us up and welcome us in each year. Really, it’s a great relationship for both sides. It’s a town of just 1,200 or so people, and then we bring in roughly 2,000 (for the tournament) so it’s a great thing for the community, too. It helps the local businesses and bars in the winter. We couldn’t ask for a better host city for this tournament.

USA Hockey: What type of preparation goes into hosting this tournament?

Aldrich: Usually we set the dates for the next year right after we wrap up that year’s tournament. From the USA Hockey standpoint, our biggest responsibility is registration and getting people signed up. It’s all online now, so that’s worked out very well. Then once there’s enough ice for plows and trucks, that’s when more work sets in. The community of Eagle River and its fire department, they’re all volunteers, they get out there and make it happen as far as the rinks and ice goes and we can’t thank them enough. We also have STAR (Serving The American Rinks) as an integral part in building the rinks. In total, with the growth, it’s really become a yearlong process.

USA Hockey: Can we expect anything extra special to celebrate the big 10-year anniversary?

Aldrich: I think when you hit the 10-year mark for an event like this, you want to do some special things. We definitely have some things planned that we hope people will find special. I’m not at liberty to put it out there yet, but I think people can trust that it will be very, very good. 

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