Alberta Pond Hockey Championships in Grimshaw, Alberta. Photo Credit: Alberta Pond Hockey Championships Facebook.

By Shane Clausing

Pond hockey championship

Alberta Pond Hockey Championship once again viewed as success

Mar 9, 2020 | 1:52 PM

After three days and over a hundred hockey games on 15 sheets of ice, the Alberta Pond Hockey Championship came to an end Sunday, and was once again viewed as a big success for the community of Grimshaw.

The weekend tournament saw 350 players and 64 teams from across Alberta and Western Canada skate on Lac Cardinal, all competing for a chance to play in the championship or consolation final on Sunday.

By the end of the day Sunday, ‘Sled and The Dogs’ won the main championship and finished the tournament with an undefeated record, while ‘The Other Guys from Loon River’ took home the consolation prize.

Chris Holder from Grimshaw was on the championship-winning ‘Sled and The Dogs’ team, and spoke about his experience at the tournament and his enjoyment.

“It’s well set-up and organized, we’ve been out here to just about everyone so it’s a good thing to bring the family out up in the wintertime,” said Holder.

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There was also youth hockey and ringette tournaments held for children aged 5-12 on Sunday, which also featured a shootout competition.

While the weather on Sunday was a little chilly, the sun was still shining, and all the kids playing had smiles on their faces.

Nikita Osmond’s son played on the Ram Rebels and says that the youth tournament looked like a blast for the kids.

“This is my first year, from the first-year experience it’s great to see all the family’s out and seeing the smile on the kids face and having fun,” said Osmond.

President of the Alberta Pond Hockey Association, Dave Allen, says the tournament had a great turnout.

“It’s been an amazing weekend again, a little cooler temperature than what we’ve had the last couple of years, but all in all still good. The ice was certainly really good for the players and as you can see the event tent in there is pretty full.”

Saturday night the tournament hosted their annual gala, which saw over 450 people attend. The gala offers the players and their families from the tournament a chance to meet other people playing in the tournament, or just have some team building time.

“As long as this event has been running, we constantly hear stories every year of people coming out and they have no idea what there is,” said Allen. “Seeing all the event tents set-up, the 15 rinks, all the equipment and all the people down here, and they just can’t believe that this event goes on out here on a frozen lake in Northern Alberta in the dead of winter. It truly is a spectacle to see if you’ve never been down here.”

Allen told EverythingGP that the tournament will likely return around the same time next year when the tournament celebrates its 13^th anniversary.