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Drop that puck: 2010 Labatt Blue Pond Hockey Tournament  |
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Labatt USA, importer of Labatt Blue beer, today announced details of the third annual Labatt Blue Buffalo Pond Hockey Tournament. Played on the icy shores of Lake Erie at the Erie Basin Marina, 112 teams will compete in approximately 14 divisions, over two cold, long days. Players will lace up their skates for games that start on Saturday, February 27 – with division final games continuing on Sunday, February 28, 2010. Games will begin at approximately 7:30 am and continue until 5 pm.
Players skate on eight man-made rinks, each 150’ wide x 75’ high, constructed using water, shovels, small plows and hay barrels. Teams from all over the region will compete. About 10 smaller Labatt Blue-sponsored tournaments throughout New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont will send their top teams to play in the Labatt Blue Buffalo Pond Hockey Tournament.
According to Labatt Blue Associate Brand Manager Ryan Daley, the tournament has grown from 16 to 112 teams in just its third year. “There’s something special about playing outdoor hockey and enjoying a Labatt Blue beer with your buddies. The frozen lake, fresh, cold air and ‘old school’ hockey makes for a great day,” said Daley. “Each year, we hear from more and more players who want to participate. This year we’re planning for 112 teams and about 700 players – all thirsting for a real hockey experience.”
The goal of the tournament is to provide an authentic, competitive and fun real hockey experience for local adult hockey players. “We want to create a real hockey experience that takes people back to their roots,” said Daley. “The choppy, dull and sometimes wet surface of Lake Erie delivers hockey in its purest form. Players maintain the ice with shovel and buckets of water, much like you would during a pick-up game on a neighborhood pond.”
Ed Ellis of Performax Hockey Systems has been named tournament director. Ellis will oversee team and referee recruitment, game scheduling and tournament day events. Teams will be comprised of four to six players, 21 years of age and older, who play a four-on-four format, absent a goalie. Nets are six inches high and six feet wide like the goals used in the Labatt Blue US Adult Pond Hockey Championships held in Eagle River, Wisconsin. Teams will compete in a round robin format in one of 14 divisions. The winner of each bracket will go on to play a championship game.
“The Labatt Blue Buffalo Pond Hockey Tournament has grown into one of our city’s great annual winter events,” said Mayor Byron W. Brown. “Over the past two years, hundreds of hockey players and spectators have come to the city’s waterfront to enjoy a truly exceptional and fun outdoor event that celebrates both our passion for hockey and outdoor winter activities. Thanks to the support and ingenuity of Labatt USA, which has been an outstanding corporate citizen in Buffalo and our region, we can look forward to another successful Pond Hockey Tournament this year and for many years to come.”
This year’s Labatt Blue Buffalo Pond Hockey Tournament also will feature music, food vendors and related activities.
How to Enter a Team
To enter a team in the Labatt Blue Buffalo Pond Hockey Tournament, please go to www.performaxhockey.com. Teams must register by January 18, 2010. There is a registration fee of $250 and players must present proof of age. Tournament directors recommend registering early because they anticipate an early sellout. Registered teams receive a minimum of three games over two days (*weather dependent) and a Labatt Blue gift. Teams who make the division finals will receive newly designed Labatt Blue Buffalo Pond Hockey jerseys.
Become a fan of the Labatt Blue Buffalo Pond Hockey Tournament at: http://tinyurl.com/labattfacebook. Fans receive updates and information on rink construction, schedules, weather conditions and more.
*The Labatt Blue Buffalo Pond Hockey Tournament is subject to weather conditions.
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Are you hosting or promoting an event in the Buffalo Area? If so then we want to hear about it. Email us at editor@buffaloathome.com.
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