WHITMORE LAKE, MI — In the midst of the toughest time in winter, Alyssa Barnard and her team look forward to one weekend where they can connect to their youth by gathering on the frozen Whitmore Lake to play a childhood version of one of the most popular sports in America.

Heading into its eighth year, the annual Labatt Blue Michigan Pond Hockey Classic is a local event under the USA Hockey program, which celebrates the harsh winter and the beloved Midwestern game. A growing number of teams with men and women of all skill levels are invited to showcase their skills on the rugged pond ice, in hopes of making it to the championship rounds on Sunday.

“Pond hockey is a totally different game than indoor ice hockey,” said Alyssa Barnard, a player registered in the women’s recreational league. “It’s where players start off, where we learn the ways of the game.” For Barnard and teammates, pond hockey was the main winter activity growing up in northern Michigan, providing them with a basic set of skills that would be used to their advantage in high school hockey leagues and in levels beyond.

The two 20-minute halves of high intensity games are entertaining–  to say the least. Four players from each team on the ice at a time must rely on their stick-handling skills to win the games, as all penalties are taken seriously in order to keep the players safe. This style of play differs from the high level of physicality in ice hockey. Without board checking and slap shots, pond hockey creates a completely different but exciting experience for players and spectators.

Whitmore Lake High School students, Evan Ward and Derek Beasley, have been looking forward to the tournament since the start of winter and participated in the men’s recreational league. “It’s just something to do around here…this is a slow time of year, so there isn’t much going on,” Ward said. “Pond hockey is great and this tournament is the perfect opportunity to hang with friends and have a lot of fun.”

While Ward and Beasley are Whitmore Lake locals, their teammate, Ethan Westin, attends Skyline High School in Ann Arbor. Westin describes the experience as a day of constant fun with good friends. “Right now I’m just here to watch my sister play…It’s a good time here even when I’m not playing,” Westin said.

A large tent is set up and filled with food and drinks for people to enjoy between games. In the men’s 30+ league, players like Calvin Jacobson and Adam Bailey like to hang around the tent, and also describe the tournament as a good time–a recurring theme in the eyes of the participants of the event. “We’re here to play hockey, drink beer, and hang out with good people,” Bailey said.

Aside from hockey as the main attraction, the tournament includes activities from morning to night such as family skate sessions, raffle drawings, live music, fireworks and the annual chilly dip where brave volunteers plunge into a cut out section of the freezing lake water.

All of the proceeds from the tournament go directly to the Michigan Pond Hockey Sports Charities, to be dispersed among local schools in order to provide financial assistance for youth athletic programs to families in need.

Amy Finkbeiner has been the director of player operations at the tournament for five years and is extremely proud of the growing popularity of the tournament. “It’s a big effort, a big push, all run by volunteers to host 128 teams,” said Finkbeiner. “It’s just amazing to be out here…It’s hockey, beer, and charity all in one…It’s the trifecta!”