Pond Hockey Classic will return to Ketchum
By Morgan Mescal
The 12th annual Idaho Pond Hockey Classic will take place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 19, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 20, at the Christina Potters Outdoor Ice Rink at Atkinson Park in Ketchum.
“It’s like a hometown reunion—participants and observers have been coming for years and new people find out about it every year,” said John Kearney, director of recreation with the City of Ketchum. “It’s fun seeing old faces and making new friends. If you want to meet the locals, this is the place to be. It is unlike any community gathering, whether you are a hockey enthusiast or not.”
Old-fashioned pond hockey is played with teams of four on the ice, and no goalies. The goals are not traditional nets but a 12-inch-by-4-inch slot in a wooden box placed on either end of the icy pond. There is no checking or slap shots, making the game fast-moving, fun, and finesse-focused. PVC pipe is laid across the ice to separate the three playing areas, so there is always a game to watch.
Tournaments in past years have gone into the night and headlights from spectators’ cars and plow trucks have been used to illuminate the rink.
“We try and keep it pretty mellow and traditional,” Kearney said. “I’ve always been impressed with the sportsmanship and laid-back atmosphere.”
There are two divisions playing this year’s tournament, starting Saturday with the beginner/intermediate teams and finishing up the tournament on Sunday with the advanced-level teams. Teams can register until Jan. 16 at $50 a team, with a maximum of six players; players must be at least 18.
Sun Valley’s own Sun Valley Suns hockey team takes the weekend off so the players can join in the fun, and many players from out of state travel to join the play.
So far, 25 teams are scheduled for Saturday and 12 are on the schedule for Sunday. In past years there have been participants from as far away as Maine and Massachusetts.
Winning teams in each division receive a golden shovel.
“It’s as fun to watch as it is to play,” Kearney said, and the event is free for spectators, who should bring blankets, coolers, sunscreen, and lawn chairs to enjoy the day.
Mahoney’s Bar and Grill will be serving up brats and nonalcoholic beverages for purchase.
Most of the funds raised at the Pond Hockey Classic will go back into maintenance of Atkinson Park and, specifically, the ice rink itself. The Potters outdoor ice rink is free and open for the public’s enjoyment seven days a week from mid-December through mid-February, excluding the Pond Hockey Classic weekend. The park also offers free skate (hockey and figure), helmet, and stick rentals.
For more information about this year’s Pond Hockey Classic or to register your team,
visit ketchumidaho.org/registration or call (208) 726-7820, ext. 100.
The event is sponsored by the City of Ketchum, along with the help of local businesses.