2022 NEPHC Tournament Cancelled

We have descended on Lake Winnipesaukee for a weekend of pond hockey fun for twelve years. What we experienced over the last two days, is nothing we have seen before. Warms temperatures, rain, sleet and snow with falling temperatures have combined to make conditions on the lake unplayable and unsafe. As our crews removed the snow and slush from the surface, the weight of the piles began to sink and bend the ice causing cracks and springs to open up. The sinking ice at the ends of many rinks required us to disassemble boards and brackets as the ice sank and the water rose. As our crews worked well into the night, the compromised ice became unsafe for us and our machinery to continue to remove snow in many areas of the venue. The water and slush on the surface began to freeze as the temps dropped creating a surface that is unplayable.

Outdoor hockey requires a number of elements to align and this year these elements did not for us. It takes our team weeks to groom and prep the natural surface of Lake Winnipesaukee for gameplay. Our crew has learned a lot over the years, but the variables and conditions we experienced the last two days is something we simply cannot overcome. The current condition of the ice is not skateable and many areas are unsafe for us to welcome your teams and the many fans who would be in attendance today. We are heartbroken to say the 2022 New England Pond Hockey Classic is cancelled.

We ask for your patience as we work to manage the realities of this situation. An event and venue that on Thursday was fully set up and ready to welcome all of you - to a venue with snow piles, slush, water pockets, cracks, frozen boards, and brackets. The Common Man and the Labatt Blue Zone will be open today from 10-6 - come down and redeem your beer tickets and enjoy some live music.

• The Commish