The Prince Winter Classic Pond Hockey Tournament kicked off Saturday morning, bringing hockey players and fans out to Prince Township Festival and Events Pavilion for the inaugural fundraiser for charity.
“The ice is pretty good - it’s a little rough, but it’s not bad considering,” said player Sherry Boston, who had just stepped off the ice Saturday morning. “It’s a beautiful day, and it’s a great opportunity to play pond hockey.”
As of Saturday morning, organizers raised about $2,000 for Sick Kids Foundation through registration dollars from participating pond hockey teams.
“It’s been unreal, actually,” said Pond Hockey Apparel Co. owner Justin Marandola, who co-organized the pond hockey tournament with Beer League Unis owner Justin Adam. “We’ve had a lot of spectators come in at different times, so it’s just a constant flow of people coming in and out.”
“It’s been really good, and we’ve got a lot of good vendors here. I think we’ll do alright today.”
Organizers want to make the Prince Winter Classic Pond Hockey Tournament an annual event, and could possibly expand the tournament to a full weekend next year.