Pond Hockey Classic venue moved to Lake Waukewan

MEREDITH — Scott Crowder has no interest in skating on thin ice – especially not when 1,200 others will be following him. That's why he's decided to hold the 2012 New England Pond Hockey Classic on Lake Waukewan this year instead of Lake Winnipesaukee's Meredith Bay. Crowder made the announcement on Thursday evening on the event's Facebook page.

The welcoming party and skills competition will still be held on Meredith Bay. That celebration, held from 6 to 10 p.m. on February 2, will take place on the shelf of thick ice immediately in front of Lago's restaurant.

The tournament will be held February 3-5. Crowder said those coming to the event, whether to play, volunteer or take in the spectacle, should be aware that there is no parking at Lake Waukewan. He's arranged for a service to shuttle people from three village locations.

Meredith Bay, where the first two pond hockey events were held, is Crowder's preferred place to host the event. With amenities such as shops, hotels and parking surrounding, the Meredith Bay setting was surely one of the reasons that the three-day open-air hockey tournament has grown so quickly.

However, another reason why the event has captured the imaginations of hockey players is its embrace of the natural element, playing on a natural surface and being subject to the whims of Mother Nature. Last year, Crowder's crew scrambled to deal with a heavy snowfall days before the event took place. This year's curveball was an unseasonably mild start to winter, resulting in just a few inches of ice on parts of Meredith Bay where there would typically be a foot or more in a typical late January. Citing safety as his chief concern, Crowder announced yesterday that the event would move about a mile across town, where the ice on the shallower, sheltered Lake Waukewan is between eight and 12 inches thick and growing.

Within and underneath that ice, though, is the town's drinking water. Waukewan serves as a reservoir for the Meredith Water Department, and as such Crowder's plans have been altered to minimize the chances for contamination. Instead of heavier equipment, snowblowers were used to clear the snow from the 18 rinks his crew has constructed. Once the event begins, he said nothing will be on the ice except rink hardware, signs, hay bales and trash receptacles. No vendors associated with the event will be located on the ice.

Instead, Crowder said, the "tournament village" will be held across Waukewan Street, in the Middleton Building Supply yard. "It's going to be an awesome tournament village," Crowder said. The "village" will include a player tent, a Common Man food tent, an information hut, restroom facilities and event sponsor tents.

Whether coming to play in the tournament or to hang out and watch some hockey, Crowder said no one will be permitted to park at the tournament site or along Waukewan Road, a rule that police and tow truck drivers will be ready to enforce. "There is absolutely no parking down there – none," said Crowder.

To get people to and from the event, Crowder has hired a pair of coach buses and two smaller shuttles, which will run a constant loop from the event site to the three designated parking areas. Shuttles will stop at Hart's Turkey Farm restaurant, Chase House, and the lot at Prescott Park. Crowder hopes the wait between shuttles will be 15 minutes or less.

Putting on the tournament this year has been a challenge for Crowder and, due to unexpected expenses such as transportation, the extra work doesn't come with additional proft. He's determined to put on the event, though. "It comes down to my love for the sport of hockey, my passion to work hard to give the guys and girls this weekend of hockey."

"If we pull this off, on Sunday, after the last horn blows, it will be a big sigh of relief," Crowder said.