Labatt Blue 2017 Buffalo Pond Hockey Tournament Announced! Dates + Registration Available Here!

10th Labatt Blue Buffalo Pond Hockey Tournament is set for February 17 through February 19. Registration for the three-day tournament opens Wednesday, December 14 at noon and closes Saturday, December 31.

Action on the ice kicks off Friday, February 17 with 144 teams with seven player rosters once again facing off at Buffalo Riverworks complex. Spectators, fans and Labatt Blue lovers are encouraged to come down to cheer on competitors and enjoy the milestone celebration Labatt is planning for their hometown fans.

Players can find out if their team has been selected by checking the tournament website on Tuesday, January 3. Once teams have been selected, a $250 registration fee will be due by Saturday, January 7. The tournament game play schedule will be announced on Friday, February 3.

Tournament Structure and Format

Nearly 1,000 players will compete across the novice, intermediate, advanced and elite divisions. Tournament director Ed Ellis will oversee team registration, referee recruitment, game scheduling and other tournament details. Key features of the tournament include:

• Players will skate on six refrigerated ice rinks.
• Teams will be comprised of four to seven players, 21 years of age and older, who play a four-on-four format, absent a goalie.
• Teams will play a minimum of three round robin games in their specific divisions, with two, 13 minute halves, on two out of three days over the course of the weekend.
• Nets are six inches high and six feet wide, like the goals used in the Labatt Blue USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championships held each year in Eagle River, Wisconsin.
• The winner of each bracket will go on to play a championship game for a tournament trophy and bragging rights.