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Pond Hockey Festival on the Rock heading back to Ramsey Lake

Teams and volunteers can now register online
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The Pond Hockey Festival on the Rock is heading back to Ramsey Lake this year, this time at the Northern Water Sports Centre from Feb. 8-10. (File photo)

The Pond Hockey Festival on the Rock is heading back to the shores of Ramsey Lake, and there are a few changes in store for this year, including the venue.

Organizer Dan DeNoble said the committee is looking to revamp and improve the festival this year, which is taking place Feb. 8-10 at the Northern Water Sports Centre. Shuttles will be provided from the York Street parking lot.

The committee is striving to make the entire festival more inclusive to all residents. Yes, hockey will be the key element, but DeNoble and his team want the Pond Hockey Festival to be more than just hockey.

They are adding fireworks to the Saturday festivities, as well as many other initiatives to draw in families.

“It's a special tournament,” DeNoble said. “Sudbury should be proud of this event, because it brings so many people outside in the winter who get to enjoy what Northern Ontario has to offer while raising money for a good cause.”

The proceeds from the 2019 festival will be donated to Camp Quality Northern Ontario, a camp for northern kids affected by cancer. 

The plan is to have 14 rinks set up, and DeNoble is hoping to have 100 teams participating. There are divisions for all skills levels, so “you don't have to be Wayne Gretzky to play,” he said.

“We will have divisions for people of all skill levels,” DeNoble said. “It's a good time to get together with family and friends and play some hockey at the same time.” 

In 2016, the festival was cancelled outright due to “unsafe ice conditions.” 

This 2017, less-than-ideal ice conditions forced organizers to move the festival to the James Jerome Sports Complex, and it was transformed into a boot hockey tournament. Although it was held in a different venue with boot hockey instead of ice hockey, it had about 70 teams participating. About $20,000 was raised and split between Camp Quality and YES Theatre.

This year's tournament in early 2018 returned to Ramsey Lake in front of the Northern Water Sports Centre.

DeNoble is hoping teams take it upon themselves to fundraise above and beyond their registration costs, although it isn't mandatory.

The registration deadline is Feb. 1. In the event weather forces organizers to cancel this year's festival, teams will be offered a full refund of their entry fees. 

It's still very early in the organizing, and registration for teams and volunteers has just opened up as of today. Greater Sudbury got its first real taste of winter over the weekend, so the timing was right to put out the call for anyone looking to get a team together or looking to volunteer, DeNoble said. 

Volunteers are needed for referees, parking, venue and ice maintenance, set up and clean up, as well as many more positions.

DeNoble said the team will be visiting high schools within the next few months to seek out volunteers.

Team can register at [email protected].

Volunteers can register at [email protected].


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Arron Pickard

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