This year more than most, my Google Alerts are coming in handy. I have a couple dozen set up at the moment, all trained on phrases like “pond hockey tournament”, “pond hockey classic”, and the like. Without fail, each morning I wake up and survey the damage. Event X has been postponed. Event Y has been cancelled. Every morning is another inbox funeral.
One noticeable omission from the bad news folder has been the New England Pond Hockey Classic. Typically held on Meredith Bay in New Hampshire, it seemed that the NEPHC was destined for problems with only a couple inches of ice as of last week. But organizer Scott Crowder and his team is ice experts were not content to let this spring-like winter ruin their event. After meeting with town officials last week, Crowder’s crew settled on a smaller lake about a quarter mile from the original location. Much in the same way a cup of water freezes solid before a swimming pool would, the smaller Lake Waukewan had 10-12″ of ice, so the gang got to work clearing the rinks. The aerial shot was taken just yesterday by Bill Hemmell of Lakes Region Aerial Photo, and shows the original location at top left along with the 18 rinks cleared for play.
With the change in location comes a few changes for those of us familiar with the Meredith Bay location of years past. The primary challenge with Waukewan is that there is NO on-site parking. All participants, spectators, and volunteers will need to take a shuttle from one of three locations in Meredith: Hart’s Turkey Farm on Route 3, the Chase House Inn (which doubles as PHC Headquarters and the site of player check-in), and Prescott Park, which is 1/4 mile north of the Lago intersection. Shuttles will run on a continuous loop, and should be at each location every 15-20 minutes. Players should plan ahead and aim to be at Waukewan an hour before their scheduled game.
In addition to the parking challenges, Lake Waukewan is also the source of Meredith’s drinking water. As such, several groups will be on site to ensure that pond hockey participants abide by the many state and federal regulations in play with a body of water like this. Namely, there can be no fires, no vehicles, and no trash left on the ice. In addition, everyone on site will need to use the portable restrooms, and refrain from relieving themselves on the lake. Most of this is common sense, but it is the type of situation where the actions of one can affect many. Where Meredith has been a gracious host of this event for each of its three years, this is the pond hockey community’s opportunity to return the favor. Simply following these rules will do just that.
Aside from the location change for the games, most of the rest of the weekend is on schedule. Tournament weekend will kick off at 7pm on Thursday night with the Bauer Experience Skills Competition outside the Common Man Lago (near the old rink site). Bring your stick and skates and try your luck at the hardest shot, accuracy, and obstacle course, or leave your gear at home and try the Bauer products they’ll have on hand.
Friday morning kicks off the games on Waukewan. Electronic waivers must be completed by Tuesday, January 31st, and team schedules can be found here. After a Friday of hockey on the pond, NEPHC’s charity partner Restore Hockey will host a party at the Winnipesaukee Ballroom in Church Landing at Mill Falls. The party starts at 7:30, with free Labatts until 8:30 (or they run out). There’ll be food by the Common Man, raffle and silent auction items to benefit Restore, photo ops with the Stanley Cup, and a screening of National Geographic’s web series ‘Beyond the Puck’. Admission is a $10 donation to Restore, and each participant will get a Restore Hockey Lace Bracelet.
Saturday and Sunday will feature more pond hockey action at Waukewan, with all of the division finals taking place on Sunday. Assuming all goes as planned, everyone should be able to drag their tired legs home in plenty of time to settle in for the Super Bowl.
Considering the weather for most of this “winter”, it’s not surprising to see so many events postponed or cancelled due to thin or poor quality ice. But the NEPHC is not just another event. In this area, it’s THE event.
And we’ll see you there.
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If you’re one of the thousands who spent time on the frozen bliss of Lake Nokomis this weekend, then you’ve heard it. Amidst the crowds and vendors and skates carving hard outdoor ice and huffs and puffs of USPHC participants, you’ve heard it. And if you’ve ever played pond hockey with a wooden goal, you can probably close your eyes right now and hear it clear as a Minnesota day.
It is, simply, “the plunk”.
It is the sound of 6 ounces of black vulcanized rubber striking dimensional lumber, often the result of silky dangles, a laser-guided pass, or a long-range wrister. But however it happened, “the plunk” is one of the sweetest sounds in all of outdoor hockey.
Today crowned another batch of Golden Shovel recipients, and another successful year for TST Media and their US Pond Hockey Championships. But that doesn’t mean we’re a year away from hearing “the plunk” again. With a half hour of your time and some inexpensive parts, you can have your very own wooden pond hockey goal to use on your backyard rink or pond.
May the plunk be with you.
The Parts
30-50 wood screws
(1) 1/2″ – 72″ x 12″ sheet of plywood
(4) 72″ 2×6 boards
The Build
Step 1. Build the Goal Frame
Nothing too crazy here– we’re talking basic 2×6 construction.
Start with a 72″ 2×6 board.
Attach a 24″ 2×6 board to each end as shown.
Reinforce both corners with 4″ 2×6 board piece.
Attach the “crossbar” (1/2″ – 72″ x 12″ sheet of plywood) across the top of the open end of the goal frame.
Step 2. Build the “Goalie”
This is the guy that tries to come between your breakaway and sweet pond hockey glory! He may not be quick (or very mobile, for that matter), but he will stop all but the most perfect snipes, and is as unforgiving as your mother-in-law.
Start with two 46″ 2×6 boards.
Insert three 8.5″ 2×6 boards in-between to create a reinforced box.
Admire the “goalie” you just created.
Step 3. Attach the “Goalie” to the Crossbar
Here’s where it all comes together.
Center your “goalie” on the crossbar and screw that guy in place.
The openings on each side of the “goalie” should be about 12″ across.
And that’s it! If you’ve done it right, you should now have a simple, inexpensive pond hockey goal to use whenever you hit your outdoor slab. And feel free to get creative. We sprayed our site name across the top then added some scrap rubber to the rear panel. Same satisfying plunk, 50% less wood chips on your slab.
Want to get involved in one of the best pond hockey events in the country? Visit www.uspondhockey.com and keep your eyes peeled for next year’s event dates. Then get in line to sign up.
For all the joys associated with teaching a kid to skate — the shrieks of happiness, the “I’m doing it” look — there are certain pains as well. Namely the aches in one’s back and knees after spending two hours bending at the waist to hold onto tiny hands as they wobble around on miniature Bauers. So instead of volunteering your vertebrae to bear the brunt of Slugger’s wobbly weight, why not drop $11 and 15 minutes of your time and build a PVC skating aid? Bonus — your hands are free to hold the video camera.
The Parts
My receipt for the entire purchase was south of $12 using 1-1/4″ PVC.
About 12′ of 1-1/4″ PVC
6 90-degree elbows
2 45-degree slip connectors
4 slip t-connectors
PVC cleaner and glue
The Build
You’ll need to cut the PVC into several lengths. For young kids (4-6 years old), I used these sizes:
A – 4 pieces at 30″ each
B – 2 pieces at 26″ each
C – 2 pieces at 14.5″ each
D – 4 pieces at 6″ each
E – 2 pieces at 4″ each
Don’t be too freaked out if one is a slightly different length. I eyeballed most of my cuts and cut them using a table saw that was not made for PVC. It still works.
From there, it’s just a matter of looking at the pictures below and putting it all together.
Some hints:
I did NOT use glue the first time I built this. I put it together and let some kids use it to make sure it was the right size. Once I was confident, I took it apart one junction at a time and glued it.
Feel free to experiment with different sizes or pipe diameters. My oldest is five and his friends are the primary users of this, so this worked for me. But PVC is cheap, so play around with the design and see how it works with your skaters.
Make sure you double-check the parts you’re buying before you leave the store. Those PVC part bins always have rogue pieces that are the wrong size, or have threaded parts in with the slip connectors.
And that’s it! If you take your time, this should take a half hour to build. I actually took it apart to take the pictures above, then put it back together in about five minutes.
Tournament directors (and their sponsors) are hoping to see sights like this in the very near future
As a backyard rinkbuilder, the balmy start to this winter has left me annoyed. That I have a few dozen backyard rink customers, many of whom are rinkbuilding for the first time and who are looking to me for advice, only amplifies the frustration. We, the backyard and pond hockey skaters, must always play by the rules set forth by mother nature. But we don’t have to like them.
But while a backyard rinkbuilder might cuss the warm temperatures because the temps stand between them and their weekly two-on-two, pond hockey tournament directors have significantly more at stake. In the last decade, pond hockey tournaments have sprouted up from coast-to-coast, in large cities and small towns, and on lakes, ponds, and outdoor rinks. Once niche events for only the hardcore, they’ve grown to weekend-long destinations, bringing big-time dollars to places typically barren during the cold winter months. Businesses have taken note, too — companies like Labatts, USA Hockey, and Pabst Blue Ribbon are all title sponsors for pond hockey events. This year, those companies and tournament directors across the continent have had reason to worry.
According to the US National Climactic Data Center, December 2011 ranked “Above Normal” to “Much Above Normal” for all of northern and northeastern United States, home to over 60 pond hockey events. One region in Western Connecticut measured its warmest December ever. Parts of Canada have experienced similar warmth. But you don’t need scientific data to tell tournament directors it’s been warm.
“When I started organizing the inaugural Lake Fenton Winter Classic I had to worry about countless things,” says director Sean Lapham of his Michigan-based event. “How many people would sign up? How was I going to get volunteers? How would the logistics of this event happen? Can I get local and corporate sponsors? Not what would happen if at the begining of January its 50 degrees?”
Lapham is not alone in his bewilderment. Here in New Hampshire, where we haven’t seen a frigid stretch of more than three or four days, the shores of Meredith Bay, home to Scott Crowder’s New England Pond Hockey Classic, are covered with only a thin layer of ice. A hundred yards offshore, site of about half of the NEPHC’s 20 planned rinks, it is still open water. Where last year Crowder’s crew battled several feet of heavy snow, ice, and slush to get the rinks into playable condition, this year it’s the exact opposite.
“Lake Winnipesaukee is behind schedule due to the warm weather,” says Crowder. “Locals say under the right conditions one inch of ice can be made daily, and we need 15 inches to host the event.” With the countdown on the PHC website showing 25 days until puckdrop, there is precious little wiggle room left.
Crowder is still two weeks away from making a decision, but is lining up alternatives just in case. Such alternatives include moving the event to a smaller body of water, which requires less time to freeze to the appropriate thickness. Another local event, the 1883 Black Ice Pond Hockey Championships in Concord, NH, is held on a small pond. It currently has 5 inches of ice.
Fortunately, the weather hasn’t been terrible everywhere, and while it likely goes without saying, the northernmost events are preparing for their weekends just as they have in prior years.
“We are in good shape this year for our 8th annual event,” says Greg MacDiarmid, Publicity Chair of the Miramichi Rotary Pond Hockey Tournament, slated for February 3-5 in New Brunswick, Canada. ” As of last Monday, we had 11 inches of ice, and our normal thickness is usually 24-36 inches. This year is on track for a good time, with cold weather and no snow.”
The word is equally good coming out of Lake Nokomis, site of the US Pond Hockey Championships next weekend. Per their oft-updated blog “Nokomis Live“, Carson and the USPHC team are expecting cold temps to provide the ice they need to run one of the country’s largest events. Ten days out, current ice depths range between eight to ten inches. But frigid temps forecast between now and puckdrop should give them the 13-16 inches they require.
In all, this has been a challenging year for the outdoor skater. While no tournaments have been outright canceled as of this story, several have been pushed back to February. It’ll take a prolonged arctic blast to get all of the ponds and lakes frozen enough, but if there’s a silver lining, it’s that the weather appears to be changing. After a 45-degree day yesterday, our forecast here in New Hampshire is full of sub-30-degree highs and single-digit lows. And that’s just what pond hockey tournament participants want to hear.
We’re busting our hump to keep up with all the changes to our pond hockey tournament listing, so check back frequently if you’re signed up for one or plan on taking a trip out to watch. Our full North American Pond Hockey Tournament Listing can be found here.
One moment, Jack Jablonski was another 16-year-old high school hockey player enjoying the game in the country’s biggest hockey state. He had scored his team’s first goal, and at that moment, his career and his life were no different than the thousands of other high schoolers proudly wearing their school’s colors on the ice.
In an instant, that all changed.
Jack was hit from behind while heading for the puck and instantly crumpled onto the ice. With no feeling in his arms and legs, he was taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center, where he is currently in the ICU. It is still too early to know the full extent of his injuries, though it is unlikely he’ll walk or skate again. Just this morning, family friends updated his Caring Bridge page with news that increased swelling had necessitated the use of a feeding tube.
But as it tends to do in times of crisis, the hockey community has mobilized. Schools in Minnesota and beyond have organized “white outs” at games to show their support. #13 stickers and t-shirts were created almost instantly, with the proceeds going to Jack’s family. Twitter was consumed with #jabs hashtags and tweets from NHL stars like Jeremy Roenick, Alex Semin, and others.
Now, several of his classmates have been working to organize a pond hockey event on Lake Minnetonka. The Jack Jablonski Junior Bronze Tournament will be tentatively held on Saturday, January 14th, on the lake’s Excelsior Bay. The date is tentative, and full details can be found at the event’s Facebook page. The price will be $10 per player, with teams of 6-12 skaters. There will also be a silent auction.
“What we really need right now is donations for the auction,” said Mario Zattoni, a friend of Jack’s, a fellow Benilde-St. Margaret student, and a co-organizer of the event. “Any items of value are really what we need, whether it would be sports memorabilia, jewelry, gift baskets, or gift cards.”
Anyone willing to donate tents, goals, auction items, or anything else is urged to contact them via the event’s Facebook page. For those willing to offer the family financial support, they are urged to visit any Wells Fargo bank or send donations to:
Jack Jablonski Fund
P.O. Box 16387
St. Louis Park, MN 55416-2618
Hockey is a dangerous game, and as long as contact is allowed, there will be catastrophic injuries. That said, as someone who has been around the game for nearly three decades, it never gets easier to hear these stories. But in time of need, it’s both uplifting and humbling to see the hockey community rally around one of its own. Get well, Jack. Millions of new fans are cheering for you.
This year more than most, my Google Alerts are coming in handy. I have a couple dozen set up at the moment, all trained on phrases like “pond hockey tournament”, “pond hockey classic”, and the like. Without fail, each morning I wake up and survey the damage. Event X has been postponed. Event Y has been cancelled. Every morning is another inbox funeral.
For all the joys associated with teaching a kid to skate — the shrieks of happiness, the “I’m doing it” look — there are certain pains as well. Namely the aches in one’s back and knees after spending two hours bending at the waist to hold onto tiny hands as they wobble around on miniature Bauers. So instead of volunteering your vertebrae to bear the brunt of Slugger’s wobbly weight, why not drop $11 and 15 minutes of your time and build a PVC skating aid? Bonus — your hands are free to hold the video camera.
One moment, Jack Jablonski was another 16-year-old high school hockey player enjoying the game in the country’s biggest hockey state. He had scored his team’s first goal, and at that moment, his career and his life were no different than the thousands of other high schoolers proudly wearing their school’s colors on the ice.