U.S. Pond Hockey Championships cancels Friday games due to extreme cold

The U.S. Pond Hockey Championships canceled the tournament’s Friday events due to extreme cold. Windchill temps are forecast to dip down to -45 degrees starting Thursday evening into Friday morning.

Organizers of the annual event said in a social media post that they consulted with medical professionals and local meteorologists who said it would be too cold at the Lake Nokomis location for the four-on-four games. Games are still on for Saturday and Sunday when daytime highs will be -2 and 4 degrees respectively.

“It will still be cold, but windchill will be less of a factor,” the organization noted in its post. “Appreciate everyone’s flexibility — we’re committed to a great (and safe) weekend on the ice."

A player check-in and welcome party will take place on Thursday. Now in its 21st year, the USPHC is a draw for hundreds of participants and tens of thousands of spectators. At the end of the tournament, the names of of winning teams are etched into a golden shovel.

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme cold warning for Thursday evening through Friday morning, noting that this may be the coldest air mass since January 2019. The low temps can in a matter of minutes cause frostbite to exposed skin.

In 2024, USPHC was canceled because warm weather made the ice on the lake unusable. Earlier this month, the Southern Minnesota Pond Hockey Championship in Fairmont was moved indoors because of warm weather, according to the Fairmont Sentinel.

This is the first year the USPHC will be put on by the Pond Hockey Classic, which acquired USPHC last fall. USPHC was created by Fred Haberman in 2006 and was later managed by SportsEngine and WOW Factor Sports, according to a news release.