In a close championship game, Team Budweiser of St. Ignace lost by only two goals to Smarts 30+ of Howell during a noon playoff Sunday, February 21. This is the second year the Howell team has taken the top prize in the Silver Division, 30 and over. Successfully blocking Howell shot meant for the goal box are St. Ignace team members (in light jerseys). Team members pictured are (from left) Kit Huskey, Scott Winkelman, Ben L'Allier, and Keith Martin. Not pictured are team members Ed Lester, Jr. and John Herbon. At 24 rinks, 131 teams, and thousands of spectators, the 2010 U.P. Pond Hockey Tournament was the largest yet in St. Ignace. The real story of this year's tournament, according to organizers and participants alike, was great weather, good sportsmanship, and a whole lot of fun.

"I think everybody had a really good time," event organizer Mark Sposito said. "I think we probably sold out next year's event."

Team "Rather be Curling" celebrates their win in the 2010 ice bowling tournament Saturday, February 20, on the ice of Moran Bay. Team members pictured with their trophy are (from left) Todd Joseph, Jennifer Joseph, Julie Hill, and Neil Hill. Sixteen four-person teams participated this year on eight bowling lanes next to the pond hockey tournament's warming tent Saturday. Next year, organizers plan to set up even more lanes to accommodate additional teams who could not be fit into this year's tournament. The tournament began Friday, February 19, and continued through Sunday, February 21.

The tournament's rapid growth, from only four rinks and 26 teams its 2007 inaugural year, has all but guaranteed that organizers can bring in 160 teams next year, Mr. Sposito said, which is the number at which he plans to cap the tournament. This year's tournament saw retired members of the Detroit Red Wings play last year's Pond Hockey winners in

Dean Steiner of St. Ignace takes his turn bowling on the ice lanes on Moran Bay Saturday, February 20, as a part of the "ice bowling" tournament running alongside the pond hockey tournament. Crowds gather behind the bowlers to bask in the warm sun and watch the competition. game at Little Bear East Arena .

The U.P. Pond Hockey Tournament, he said, is one of St. Ignace's profitable annual events and is made possible by an army of volunteers who prepare the ice, set up the tent, plow the rinks, score the games, and do countless other jobs to make the event a success.

"Everything we profit off this tournament pays for other events," Mr. Sposito said. "The volunteer element was spectacular this year. They just came out of the woodwork."

With profits from the tournament, one of the ideas the special events committee hopes to do would be to host free outdoor movies for local families and visitors for 10 weeks in the summer . Events like that benefit from a successful hockey tournament, Mr. Sposito said.

The "Skating for MS" team from Grand Rapids, which raised money for the Michigan Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, poses before their game Saturday, February 20. Pictured are back, from left) Corby Horlings, Matt Bendle, Pete Davidson, Steve Simkinds; (front) Kurt Stauffer, and Andy Mitchell. The 2010 tournament held more stories than just that of a burgeoning hockey event, and included a mingling of people from Santa Barbara, California, to Manitoba, Canada. In its fouryear history, the tournament has drawn people from more than 30 U.S. states and Canada, Mr. Sposito said.

Some just came to watch, others to play hockey together outdoors, and others decided to use the weekend as a means to give to their communities.

Young hockey players practice their puck handling Saturday, February 20, on one of the open rinks on Moran Bay during the hockey tournament. Pictured are (from left) Derek Crane, Austin Wachnicki, and Jack Styes. Corby Horlings and the "Skate for MS" team visited St. Ignace under their new name this year, as part of an effort to raise money and awareness for the Michigan Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Mr. Horlings, who lost his mother to the disease 10 years ago, said he and a group of friends first played in the St. Ignace tournament in 2008, and decided to use the event as an opportunity to raise money to fight MS. So far, the group has collected $934 in donations. Mr. Horlings also participates in long-distance bike tours and other events to raise money for the organization.

"We just decided to put some purpose behind what we were doing," said team member Andy Mitchell. "We figured if we were going to come up here anyway, we might as well do some good."

Above: Twenty-four rinks fill Moran Bay surrounded by downtown St. Ignace during 2010 Pond Hockey Tournament. With 131 teams participating, this year's event was largest yet. St. Ignace resident Dean O'Brien and his team, "Cancer Sucks," raised more than $1,000 for the Mackinac Straits Hospital's Oncology Department. Scoring 58 goals gave the group $934 in pledges from donors, and a donation bucket at the tournament raised an additional $121, all of which will go to help the department buy a blanket warmer to provide comfort to cancer patients receiving treatment at the hospital.

"We are having fun down there, anyway," Mr. O'Brien said. "Making some money for the hospital is a good cause, too. We are glad for all the people who participated and gave."

This year was a good start, he said, and the group of hockey players plan to do it again in 2011.

At left: The Grand Haven Gringos, complete with sombreros, take to the ice Saturday, February 20, to prepare for their upcoming hockey game. The group, comprised of Great Lakes surfers from Grand Haven and one friend from Santa Barbara, California, said they were enjoying the tournament. Pictured are (from left) Ben Braymer of Grand Haven, Johan Nilsson of Santa Barbara, and Mike Sispera of Grand Haven. "I just went out and played hockey like I do every year," Mr. O'Brien said.

The tournament itself is the biggest fundraiser for the St. Ignace Youth Hockey Association, which raises money by selling concessions in the warming tent. Doug Goudreau of the association said they raised about $10,000 for the youth hockey program last year, and he expects they will bring in even more this year, once all the money is counted.

Others attending the weekend tournament said they enjoyed the unseasonably warm, sunny weather, and watching exciting outdoor hockey.

"We will probably never have that great weekend weather ever again," Mr. Sposito said.

Dudley Strauch and Jodie Starks from Mount Pleasant said they were enjoying the beautiful weather and cheering on their two nephews, playing for the 11-mile Muskrats from Midland, who lost 17-16 in a nail-biter against Team O'Conners and Angio's from Sault Ste. Marie.

Mr. Strauch, in-between chasing down the puck for the players

common sight during the weekend games), said he has always come to St. Ignace in the summer for events like the annual

Auto Show, but really enjoyed the different atmosphere the hockey tournament brought to town.

"This is almost better," he said.

There sure are a lot of people here, and the weather is just beautiful."

After bowling his frame in the ice bowling tournament going on alongside the hockey tournament, Jamie Bazinaw from Green Bay, Wisconsin, said he was also enjoying the friendly and fun-loving atmosphere at his first U.P. Pond Hockey visit.

"I drove 5-1/2 hours to get here, and I have met people today who traveled farther," Mr. Bazinaw said. "This thing could only get better. I enjoy the fact that everybody is just here to have a good time."

Mackinac County Sheriff's Deputy Isaac Harrigan took off his badge Saturday, February 20, to enjoy the event with his wife, Jessica, and son, Jackson. Mr. Harrigan said in past years he has been working and couldn't attend the tournament, and he enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere.

"Everyone is just out here to have fun and enjoy the sun," he said. "It definitely brings some business to town and helps everyone get over that winter hump."

During a game against the Super Dudes from Ann Arbor and Novi, Amy Carnahan of the Segway Chimps of East Lansing and Grand Rapids said the games reminded her of her youth, growing up playing hockey on a pond in her neighborhood.

"This is our second year; the weather was so bad the first year with the wind just blowing," Ms. Carnahan said. "It's just fun, we're all having a good time."

Dan Kolman, of Petoskey, sat on a hay bale Saturday afternoon, scoring a game. Mr. Kolman, who was volunteering for the first time in the tournament this year, said it was good to see sports governed by good sportsmanship and the honor system instead of the strict officiating seen in professional sports.

"Sports today are too governed," he said. "The kids don't learn how to work it all out themselves."

The players on Moran Bay, he observed, shared water with the opposing teams, worked out their own issues, and, most importantly, had fun.

"It's cool how good of a time all the guys are having," Mr. Kolman said. "It's just good pond hockey."

Even surfers found the weekend's celebration of hockey and winter irresistible. A team of Great Lakes surfers from Grand Haven, with a friend from California, donned sombreros and took to the ice as the "Grand Haven Gringos" during the tournament.

"It's nice to see the number of participants we have this year," St. Ignace Mayor Paul Grondin said.

The ice is just fantastic out there. The volunteers and everyone that has worked to put this tournament together have all done a fine job." U.P. Pond Hockey Results
Novice Gold Division:
Ice Outlaws from Novi beat the Depth Charge from Au Gres 13-Novice Silver Division:
Iceoholics from Columbus, Ohio, beat Rookies Luck from
Marquette 16-12
Women's Gold Division:
Northern Drilling from Ecorse beat Dangerous Divas from St.
Ignace 18-10
Women's Silver Division:
Chix Pack from Beulah beat Pro Skate from Southgate 25-17
30 & Over Gold Division:
Pro Impact from Lowell beat Lapeer from Lapeer 14-13
30 & Over Silver Division:
Smarts 30+ from Howell beat Team Budweiser from St. Ignace 18-
12
30 & Over Bronze Division:
Lilly's Seafood from Rochester beat Fartac from Plymouth 11-7
40 & Over Gold Division:
Ford from Allen Park beat Frozen Moose Knuckles from Grand
Rapids 22-10
40 & Over Silver Division:
RD Prime from Midland beat Boulevard Lounge Old Timers from
Midland 17-8
50 & Over Division:
Michigan Sting from Southfield beat 4 Old Guys and a Puck from
Traverse City (score unavailable)
Results for the 21 & Over Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze,
Copper, Tin, and Galvanized Divisions were not available from
organizers in time for publication. Check an upcoming issue of The St.
Ignace News for these results.