MEREDITH, N.H. — Every winter, Pete Kibble and the boys he plays social hockey with in Massachusetts make the trek to New Hampshire to play in an outdoor tournament that many believe embodies the sport in its purest form.
They are among the 2,200 players who descend on Meredith every February to compete for three days on a frozen lake surrounded by rolling, snow-covered hills. It is an event that many would not miss so much because of the social experience. In fact, Kibble’s team name – Nog – comes from their post-game tradition of sharing eggnog with opponents.
But like many other winter traditions on U.S. lakes, the Pond Hockey Classic is under threat from climate change. This year the tournament was moved from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the ice was not thick enough, to the smaller Lake Waukewan. As temperatures soared, a sister tournament on Lake Champlain in Vermont was canceled.
Elsewhere, on New York’s Saranac Lake, a palace built from thousands of ice blocks was closed Saturday due to safety concerns as it melted away during the Winter Carnival. That same day in Maine, an 88-year-old man died when the all-terrain vehicle he was riding fell through the ice after a fishing trip, the latest in a series of such accidents.
In the Midwest, both the extent and duration of ice cover on the Great Lakes have decreased, with some smaller lakes losing a total of about 20 days of annual ice cover over the past century, said Ted Ozersky, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
He said the rapid changes could also affect nature and ecosystems. “We really don’t know what this loss of winter means for our lakes,” Ozersky said.
Last year was the warmest year ever recorded on Earth, and a natural El Nino weather pattern has even made winter milder in some places.
In Meredith, players from across the country traveled for the tournament that started on February 2. The rules were four per team, with no goalkeepers, and the players ranged in skill from beginners to former professionals.
A total of 275 teams competed on 26 ice rinks surrounded by small, portable barriers and tended by skaters with snow shovels. There were no referees and players had to aim the puck at one of two small goals. Some hardy spectators watched all day, including a family wearing crampons for traction.
One team arrived decked out in furry jackets, another set up a barbecue and most began socializing once their games were over.
“It’s the best weekend of the year,” said Kelly Kittredge, a former college player whose “Boston Beauties” team ultimately finished second in the open women’s division. “A few warm days this year, but we are making the best of it. ”
As climbing temperatures turned from ice to slush on the first day of competition, some players traded their skates for boots. Cooler temperatures on the following days brought faster action on the ice.
Pond Hockey Classic founder Scott Crowder said there is nothing better than playing outside in a beautiful setting.
“For the older generation it is nostalgic. This is how they grew up playing. They went to the local park and pond, put on their skates and played all afternoon,” Crowder said. .”
Crowder said the lake ice averaged about eight to nine inches thick this year, the minimum they needed to safely host the tournament. He said he can’t predict the future of the event, adding there is a lot of interest from spectators and players, local businesses and the City of Meredith.
“But there is one variable we have no control over,” Crowder said, referring to the weather. “And it’s a big one.”
Elizabeth Burakowski, a research assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, said data shows New England is a U.S. hotspot when it comes to winter warming.
“I grew up in New Hampshire, so when you drive to the lakes in northern New Hampshire, Lake Winnipesaukee, normally in January you would expect everything to be completely frozen,” she said. “That there are snowmobiles there, that there is ice fishing there. And that is just not what I have experienced in recent years.”
Kibble, for example, has made the trip from Milton every year since the tournament began 15 years ago and has no plans to stop now. His team now competes in the over-50 age category, and he jokes that the name on his jersey, “Eggs,” refers to both his body shape and his team’s lawyering tradition. He says it’s all about camaraderie.
“Just being outside, skating, playing hockey like we used to do when we were kids,” he said.
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Associated Press writer Melina Walling in Chicago contributed to this report.