Kinsmen Canadian Pond Hockey Championship is set for Feb. 17-18

The lake at Albion Hills Conservation Park is pictured with the rink layouts planned for the Kinsmen Canadian Pond Hockey Championship set to go Feb. 17 and 18. Up to 48 teams will be competing for medals.

So far it has been a scary winter for the Canadian Pond Hockey Championship games scheduled for Feb. 17 and 18 but Bolton Kinsmen are pleased to see that winter has arrived and cold weather is upon us at last.

In fact, the long-term forecast is that for the most part we're going to have colder than seasonal average temperatures.

This year, Kinsmen are partnered with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority who manage the Albion Hills Conservation Area north of Bolton on Regional Road 50. The lake at the park is only four feet deep so will freeze rapidly now that freezing temperatures are here. The TRCA is providing the eight rinks required for the tournament while Kinsmen are organizing and managing the event.

Profits from the event will be used to support community services and the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation. One or more other area service clubs are also expected to participate.

The tournament features 4-on-4 play with no goaltending so play will be fast and scores high. The format has each team playing five games in round robin play on the Saturday to determine contenders for the elimination championship rounds on the Sunday.

Albion Park lake will support eight rinks so the tournament will have up to 48 teams participate with 1/3 of the teams on ice at any one time starting every 45 minutes.

Teams will be sorted by average age organized into divisions, each division consisting of six teams playing each other to determine division champions. Division champions plus the next highest scoring teams will move on to the final rounds that will determine gold, silver and bronze winners.

With the warm weather, team entries have been slow to register so there are still lots of openings and Kinsmen are looking for volunteers as well. Teams and volunteers can register online at www .canadianpondhockey.com.