The Maine Pond Hockey Classic has recently developed a strategic partnership with Bud Light® to host its 3rd annual tournament. The Maine Pond Hockey Classic is an annual fundraising tournament will host its 2015 tournament on February 6th – 8th at the Snow Pond Center for the Arts on Snow Pond (Messalonskee Lake) in Sidney, Maine.
“We have enjoyed the success of our past tournaments and really learned a lot about what our players are looking for and expect. We know the partnerships we have developed with Bud Light® and our new site will add a lot to the player experience. We can’t wait to see it all come together” exclaimed Patrick Guerette, Tournament Founder and Director.
Tournament organizers point out that the move to the Snow Pond Center for the Arts 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,” said Guerette.
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.
Early registration is currently open for the 2015 Maine Pond Hockey Classic, interested teams should register prior to November 1st when rates will increase from $395 to $445 per team, rates for the “College” division are $295 and $345 during this time period. Each team plays three pool play games for seeding followed by a single elimination tournament. Pond hockey is played 4 on 4 without goalies or on ice officials, and each team is allowed to have up to 7 players on their roster.
More information can be found on the tournament website at www.mainepondhockey.org. The tournament can be followed at its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/mainepondhockey, or on twitter, @mainepondhockey.
For those looking to get involved with the MPHC, there are several volunteer and sponsorship opportunities available. If interested, please contact Patrick Guerette, Tournament Director, via email at mepondhockeyclassic@gmail.com.
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