U.S. Pond Hockey Championships

Last updated
A game of two teams in the 50+ division 09 MN pond hockey.jpg
A game of two teams in the 50+ division

The U.S. Pond Hockey Championships are an annual pond hockey event on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Though an amateur tournament, the competition draws hockey enthusiasts from all over North America, many of whom have pro and college hockey experience.

Contents

ESPN.com listed the tournament as part of their "101 Things Sports Fans Must Experience Before They Die." [1]

The Tournament's slogan is, "HOCKEY. THE WAY NATURE INTENDED." [2]

Format

Players in the 2020 women's final US Women's Pond Hockey finals.jpg
Players in the 2020 women's final

The tournament includes competition in six divisions:

The Bender Division is for the beautiful late bloomers of the Pond. Boys and girls who got in to hockey long after the glory days of high school were gone.

The teams compete for a trophy called the Golden Shovel. Each year, the winners of each division get to engrave their names into the Golden Shovel in a tradition reminiscent of the NHL's Stanley Cup.

Past winners (Open Division)

YearTeamOriginRoster
2006Wright Homes/Almost 40

Curt Wright, Justin Brown, Dan Goff, Dave Bakken, Dave Shute, Randy Gallatin

2007Whiskey Bandits

Jamison Steinert, Matt Elsen, Jess Johnson, Tim Olson, Nick Hanrahan, Dan Ibrahim

2008Wright Homes/Almost 40

Curt Wright, Justin Brown, Dan Goff, Dave Bakken, Dave Shute, Randy Gallatin

2009Concord USA

Sam Cornelius, Peter Fitzgerald, Billy Hengen, Justin Kapsen, Geoff Kragness, Jeff Yurecko

2010Wright Homes/Almost 40

Curt Wright, Justin Brown, Dan Goff, Dave Bakken, Dan Donnette, Randy Gallatin

2011Whiskey Bandits

Matt Elsen, Tim Olsen, Nicholas Hanrahan, Joey Dustin, Jesse Johnson, Jamison Steinert

2012Wright Homes/Almost 40

Curt Wright, Dave Bakken, Dan Donnette, Randy Gallatin, Geno Parrish, Matt Erredge

2013WoodStars

Nick Reichert, Doug Nelson, Erik Heltne, Ross Cooney, Kevin Rollwagen, Mike Taylor

2014Wright Homes/Almost 40
2015Surging Cycle/Red Army
2016Wright Homes/FHIT
2017Wright Homes/Four Star Hockey
2018Wright Homes/Four Star Hockey
2019RJ Ryan Construction
2020Hendy Homes/Tail Gators
2022Glue Gun.com
2023Faherty Brand

Tournaments

2006 Tournament

2007 Tournament

Due to the unusually warm weather in Minnesota during the winter of 2006–2007, tournament sponsors moved the tournament from Lake Calhoun to Lake Nokomis. Notable players in the 2007 tournament include:

2008 Tournament

2009 Tournament

2010 Tournament

2011 Tournament

Held January 21–23, 2011 on Lake Nokomis.

2012 Tournament

2026 Tournament

Held January 22–25, 2026 on Lake Nokomis.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Caple: A sports fan's checklist - ESPN Page 2". ESPN .
  2. ↑ "U.S. Pond Hockey Championships". www.uspondhockey.com. Retrieved 2025-02-27.


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