The 3rd Annual Maine Pond Hockey Classic tournament will be February 6th – 8th at the Snow Pond Center for the Arts on Snow Pond (Messalonskee Lake) in Sidney.

Tournament organizers point out that the move to the Snow Pond Center for the Arts from China Lake will be good for the tournament. “When you are hosting players from far away, you want to make sure you think of the entire player experience. Our new location provides a lot of amenities we couldn’t necessarily provide at our first location,” said Bert Languet, Volunteer Director of Event Operations, “we will have more parking, drive on access to ice, and heated indoor space for players between games.” Since inception, the Maine Pond Hockey Classic players has hosted hundreds of hockey players from around the Northeast and even attracted players from as far away as Washington DC and Arizona.

The Maine Pond Hockey Classic aims to provide a festival like atmosphere for players and spectators. The tournament site will contain 8 or more rinks, beer garden, fire pits, food vendors and anything else tournament organizers can add to the mix. “We really want to add a few skills competitions for players between games this year, but haven’t settled on specific activities yet,” exclaimed Patrick Guerette, Tournament Founder and Director.

The Maine Pond Hockey Classic offers 6 divisions from players of different ages and ability levels; including, Open “A”, Open “B”, Women’s, Recreational, 40+, and a “College” Division. Each division winner will receive a prize pack including complimentary entry to the following year’s tournament, Championship Sweatshirts, and a very unique trophy that features the State of Maine cut out from old hockey sticks. “We like having a trophy that you won’t see anywhere else; besides, it really wouldn’t be a great representation of Maine if we didn’t take something old and discarded and turn it into something awesome,” said Guerette.

More information can be found on the tournament website. The tournament can be followed at its' Facebook page or on twitter.

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