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Outdoor hockey tournament to raise money for charity

2023 Winter Classic Charity Pond Hockey Tournament raising funds for The Twinkie Foundation; outdoor event set to take place Feb. 23-26 at The Canal District
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Pond Hockey Apparel Co. owner Justin Marandola hosted his first-ever outdoor hockey tournament in Prince Township back in February 2020. James Hopkin/SooToday

A three-on-three hockey tournament is being held in Sault Ste. Marie later this month in an effort to get hockey enthusiasts into the great outdoors while raising money for charity. 

The 2023 Winter Classic Charity Pond Hockey Tournament will take place Feb. 23-26 at Century 21 The Rink, bringing together a number of teams for two full days of outdoor hockey action at The Canal District. 

“Sault Ste. Marie never ceases to amaze me — anything hockey related, I think it’s a huge draw,” said organizer and Pond Hockey Apparel Co. owner Justin Marandola. “We’re just that kind of city, we’ve got that hunger for hockey.” 

Marandola staged his first-ever pond hockey tournament at Prince Township Festival and Events Pavilion in February 2020, which raised $2,700 for SickKids Foundation. But he decided to put a hold on the tournament since then due to public health restrictions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I didn’t really want to scale it down to something so small,” he said of the decision to put off the pond hockey tournament in years past. “It takes away from the players as well when you can’t have any type of crowd or atmosphere going on.” 

But this year promises to be different. Marandola says a portion of the parking lot at The Canal District will be dedicated to a hockey skills competition that will allow hockey fans to put their puck-wielding abilities to the test during the event.  

“We’re going to give them the opportunity to keep busy and to get involved in some other things and hopefully add to the atmosphere,” he said. 

This year’s pond hockey tournament will raise money for The Twinkie Foundation, a local non-profit organization which assists Sault Ste. Marie families in relieving some of the financial burden incurred by travelling for their children’s medical treatment. 

“I’m glad we’re able to contribute to that and know that we’re helping people in the Sault while people are having fun at the same time,” said Marandola. “It’s a great cause and a great event, I think.”

Most spots for the pond hockey tournament have been spoken for, but Marandola says there are still spots left for teams in the bantam (13-14 years of age), midget (15-17 years of age) and women’s divisions. 

The deadline for registration is Feb. 15. 

“We’re still looking to fill a couple holes in the team divisions. Most of them are sold out, but if we can fill up the rest that would be great,” he said.

More information on the 2023 Winter Classic Charity Pond Hockey Tournament can be found on the Pond Hockey Apparel Co. website.


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