Two balaclavas under his hockey helmet and cage. Fleece gloves inside his hockey gloves. Full hockey gear. A couple of Caesar libations for the body.
That鈥檚 what you need鈥攐r at least it鈥檚 what Vernon鈥檚 Randy Wilson requires鈥攖o partake in the Labatt Blue USA Adult Pond Hockey Championships, held on the frozen waters of Dollar Lake in Eagle Bay, Wisconsin, nearly five hours north of Milwaukee.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great event,鈥� said Wilson, 55, a former broadcaster turned financial advisor.
Wilson鈥檚 brother, Dean, lives in Milwaukee and has played in all 14 of the annual pond hockey events. He kept inviting his brother to come down and play for his team, B.A. Sports, a sports establishment in Milwaukee.
Three years ago, Wilson said, 鈥淔ine. I bought a ticket, let鈥檚 see what this is all about.鈥�
Co-sponsored by Labatt Blue and USA Hockey, the Adult Pond Hockey Championships are played on Dollar Lake, a body of water that is 鈥渂igger than Swan Lake and smaller than Kal Lake,鈥� said Wilson, every February.
The Eagle River Fire Department creates 30 specially-marked rinks, each separated by snow banks, for the championships which brings teams/players from across North America. In 2018, there were about 300 teams playing in 20 non-checking divisions with more than 2,000 players competing.
Wilson and B.A. Sports went 1-2 at this year鈥檚 tournament in the beginner/novice division.
鈥淭he competition in our division, well, there鈥檚 a lot of sandbagging that goes on, as we learned,鈥� laughed Wilson. 鈥淲e were playing a team, all under the age of 30, in a beginner division, and they鈥檙e doing the dangle thing on us.
鈥淲e said, 鈥榊ou guys are in the wrong division.鈥� It鈥檚 a really fun event, but some of the more competitive divisions get very serious about it.
鈥淲e play for the glory of the game, and the case of cold beer.鈥�
After each game, each team is given a case of Labatt Blue and Labatt Blue Light.
Games are two, 15-minute halves played, this year, in -21C weather with 20 mile-per-hour winds making it feel like -36C, and on what Wilson calls 鈥渂ad lake ice.鈥�
鈥淭he pucks bounce,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat you consider normal ice in a hockey rink resembles nothing like the pond ice. There are big cracks. You鈥檝e got to watch how you skate so you don鈥檛 turn an ankle or break a leg.鈥�
The bad ice can also cause the puck to jump, whether stick handling, off a pass or a shot. One of the rules of the pond hockey championships is players are not supposed to raise the puck which can lead to pain if a player gets struck by the puck in an area with no padding.
Goalies can鈥檛 wear full gear, and they can鈥檛 drop on the ice. The nets are small four-inch high bars, and the same width as a regular hockey net, but players have to put the puck under the four-inch high bar to score, so that keeps all passes and shots low. Goalies wear full plastic skate covers over their skates to protect the feet on low shots.
鈥淥ccasionally the puck goes high, it happens a few times,鈥� said Wilson. 鈥淵ou try to stay out of the way (of shots and passes). The skin cuts so easy at that temperature.
鈥淚 took one shot inside the elbow that caught the fleshy part. The sting was instant and very, very deep. It required two beers, STAT.鈥�
Seeing his brother, his hockey brethren, the chance to partake in ice-cold鈥攍iterally鈥擫abatt products and the camaraderie associated with the tournament will have Wilson packing long johns, fleece gloves and balaclavas for a trip south every February.
鈥淚鈥檒l keep going back as long as the body and wife (Gayle) let me,鈥� he said.
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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