A kinder, gentler Mother Nature is on the wish list for the second B.C. Pond Hockey championship in Prince George.
John Reed, organizer of the hockey championship to be held at Tabor Lake from Jan. 20 to 22, recalled the frigid conditions they played the games in last winter.
"We had absolutely insane weather last year, which everyone will remember if they were in Prince George," said John Reed. "Back-to-back snowfalls and temperatures at minus 22 and minus 35, but it was still a ton of fun."
The event launched in Rossland in 2009, before coming to Prince George and will expand to three locations in February 2012 when Invermere comes on board.
Reed said eventually they'd like to have a provincial - or Western Canada - championship weekend with the winner of each region meeting.
"We have to get Invermere established first and we're starting to look towards Alberta for expansion plans," said Reed, mentioning Jasper as a possible location if expansion goes ahead in 2013. "We're just starting the preliminary work at looking at different locations. So the BC pond hockey series may become a western Canadian pond hockey series, but for right now it's in BC."
Prince George hosted 33 teams at West Lake Provincial Park in its inaugural season.
"I think if we can beat last year that would be great," said Reed.
Teams can register for the competitive or recreational divisions, though Reed said the competition ramps up in all games once players hit the ice.
"At the end of the day it's still all competitive," he said. "When you lace up the skates, no matter what you say, you're playing to win."
The decision to move to Tabor Lake for the second pond hockey event was made to make the weekend more comfortable and friendly for players and spectators.
"It's a little closer and a little more accessible and in terms of facilities we're looking to increase the player experience with inside and heated changing facilities," said Reed about the log house ranch house .
In order to play in the pond hockey event a player must be 19 years old and have a passion for hockey. Registration can be done online at www.bcpondhockey.com. Anyone wanting to take park, but not as a player, can also sign up as a volunteer on the website.
The cost is $520 per team.
Reed said when they came up with the pond hockey idea in Rossland they had a vision of bringing people back to their childhood.
"It's to promote athleticism and outdoor sport and bring people back to the roots of hockey," said Reed. "We all remember skating outside on backyard rinks or frozen lakes or frozen ponds."
