Games begin at 9:45 a.m. Saturday and continue until about 4:30 p.m. on outdoor rinks near the Sleepy Eye Arena at the southwest end of town. A game of area boys and girls age eight and under, begins at 1 p.m.

Sleepy Eye Pond Hockey Association President Lucas Heiderscheidt said pond hockey tournament interest continues to grow with 15 teams competing.

“About half the teams are from this area. Other teams including men and women come from Milwaukee, Grand Marais, North and South Dakota,” he said.

Heiderscheidt said new tournament wrinkles this year include more on site shelter.

File photo by Clay Schuldt The 1919 Root Beer team (grey jerseys) battles River Valley Sanitation (blue jerseys) in the pond hockey classic last year.

“We’re inviting people to set up their camping trailers and fish houses on the event grounds that includes fire pits and a heated tent,” he said.

As in the past, a full bar and hot food will be available. There is no admission charge.

Three-time defending team champion 1919 Root Beer includes A. J. Arneson, Dan Sandvig, Ryan Petersen, Jacob Berg, Braxten Hoffmann, Teagan Kamm, Toby Sengvonxay and Keagan Schiro returns to the tournament.

River Valley Sanitation, a mix of former New Ulm and Sleepy Eye players finished second last year and could be considered a leading contender.

Heiderscheidt said pond hockey is played on a smaller rink than traditional hockey games, has fewer players on the ice, is more fast-paced, making passing and positioning important.

The pond hockey tournament began a few years ago with Heiderscheidt’s idea.

“I participated in a pond hockey tournament while at school in Mankato,” he said. “After I moved back to Sleepy Eye, I thought it would be nice to have one here. May brother Max and brother-in-law, Sean Mathiowtz agreed and helped me start it on Sleepy Eye Lake. We later moved it to near the arena better ice. I lot of hockey enthusiasts and others jumped in to help us host the tournament. We couldn’t do it without them.”

Heiderscheidt said $2,000 worth of tournament proceeds will go to local youth hockey programs. Remaining funds will be used to cover pond hockey classic costs.

Tournament events conclude with an 8 p.m. concert with the Mankato-based Steele Prairie band at the Sleepy Eye Event Center.