No plans to change Pond Hockey Classic for next year

MEREDITH — For the past 12 years, the New England Pond Hockey Classic has gone off without a hitch, but it looks like 13 might be an unlucky number according to Pond Hockey Classic founder and organizer Scott Crowder. 

“I used to joke that each season we are reminded why hockey is played indoors,” Crowder said. “Making 26 rinks of ice on a natural body of water having to rely on climate and forecast, the reality is we are at the mercy of what comes our way.”

What came their way, unfortunately, was a merciless combination of weather patterns.

“A lot of stars kind of aligned to go against us with the way the storm set up,” said Crowder, citing warm temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday before the event, combined with freezing rain, then cement-like snow on Friday. 

On Friday morning, just as the first batch of teams gathered for the first set of games, the day was canceled. Crews from the Classic worked well into the night, clearing snow and repairing the rinks, but they were ultimately overwhelmed by mother nature. 

The ice became bumpy and uneven, and all the weight of the dense snow started to crack the ice, bringing up more water to freeze and deform the surface until it was deemed unplayable on Saturday. 

“As soon as you have that much weight out there and things start to happen it becomes a safety issue,” Crowder said. “There were cracks."

The Classic is one of three major winter sporting events considered a boon to the Lakes Region. The World Championship Dog Sled Derby and the Meredith Rotary Club Ice Fishing Derby are both set to take place this weekend.

“This has been a huge boost to our economy,” said Leslie Sturgeon, the executive director of the Meredith Chamber of Commerce. “It brings a lot of people from all over the place, spectators and players, they're staying at hotels, eating at our restaurants, shopping, obviously it was sad that everything had to be canceled.”

Despite the cancellation, many players stuck around Meredith for the weekend. 

“We still had 2,200 participants and 280 teams,” Crowder said. “They hit the bars and restaurants and stayed in the vacation rentals so for the most part the region was able to have the impact they've grown accustomed to in the last 12 years.”

As for the future, both Sturgeon and Crowder expressed confidence and eagerness for next year’s event, and that there is no need to modify the way the ice is managed going forward. 

“There is nothing we could have done and nothing we're going to change,” Crowder said. For now, Crowder is focused on his next tournament on Lake Champlain in Vermont, which is set to take off this weekend.

“Things are looking good now,” Crowder said. “The ice is in good shape.”