The Pond Hockey Portal!
Friday, February 01, 2008
Cold temps can't stop Minn. pond hockey
The third annual U.S. Pond Hockey Championships are forging on in Minneapolis this weekend despite temperatures hovering around zero.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press said Saturday that when the pucks first hit the icy ponds, local temperatures had dropped to single digits and a frigid breeze was blowing.
Yet despite the cold temperatures, more than 1,400 die-hard hockey enthusiasts were on hand when the annual event began Friday.
Tournament commissioner Fred Haberman said the event, thought to be the United States' largest outdoor pond hockey tournament, is a big draw.
"What Harlem is to outdoor basketball, this is what we are to outdoor hockey," he told the newspaper.
Those who survived the first day of competition and endured the frigid temperatures didn't get a break Saturday as games continued and temperatures in Minneapolis fell to 2 degrees below.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press said Saturday that when the pucks first hit the icy ponds, local temperatures had dropped to single digits and a frigid breeze was blowing.
Yet despite the cold temperatures, more than 1,400 die-hard hockey enthusiasts were on hand when the annual event began Friday.
Tournament commissioner Fred Haberman said the event, thought to be the United States' largest outdoor pond hockey tournament, is a big draw.
"What Harlem is to outdoor basketball, this is what we are to outdoor hockey," he told the newspaper.
Those who survived the first day of competition and endured the frigid temperatures didn't get a break Saturday as games continued and temperatures in Minneapolis fell to 2 degrees below.
