By Chrissy Prichard

Express News Staff

Inlet will soon be the host of the Fourth Annual Adirondack Ice Bowl. The pond hockey tournament will take place Friday, Jan. 27 through Sunday, Jan. 29, on Fourth Lake in front of The Woods Inn. This is the second year the event has been held at this venue. Play is scheduled to begin Friday morning and end with the championship games Saturday evening, followed by an awards ceremony.

Organizers have been working hard gathering equipment, sponsors and volunteers. According to Shaun Brennan, one of the event’s founders, they are always looking for ways to tweak the way they do things to make the job a little easier. One example of this is the way they heat the water for their Zambonis. The group recently purchased a trailer and two 200,000 btu on-demand tankless hot water heaters which will assist significantly with the 160 degree water they need. These units will heat water much faster than their old water heater, which needed almost two hours to warm up and had to be drained each night.

New this year, young hockey players will also be getting in on the action. Kids ages five through nine from the Clinton Youth Hockey program’s “Mites” division will take to the ice from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. Brennan hopes this will give young players a taste of what it’s like to play hockey outside on a lake, rather than in the controlled environment of an indoor rink.

“We want to show them what hockey is really all about,” he says.

Ice safety and thickness is something the organizers take very seriously. They use formulas and guidelines issued by the Army Corps of Engineers to make sure the event can be held safely. According to Brennan, the lack of snow this year has actually helped the ice to form. Snow acts as insulation and can trap water on the surface of the ice, actually slowing the freezing process.

“We’ve been really lucky this year. Usually we have to clear the snow away so the ice can form faster, but this year it hasn’t been an issue,” he says.

The ice was tested last week, and was found to be six to eight inches thick. Brennan expected the ice to be a foot thick by this week. The ice thickness is monitored regularly throughout the tournament to ensure everyone’s safety. “Last year we had 24 to 30 inches. We could have built a skyscraper on the ice,” he jokes, “but 12 to 14 inches is more than enough. It looks like we’ll have at least that much.”

The event gains momentum each year and continues to grow, with a crowd of 10,000 spectators expected over the weekend. Organizers Jim O’Brien, Daniel O’Brien, Gary Zalewski, Alex MacDiarmid, Eric MacDiarmid, Matthew Hayes, and Brennan begin preparations for the tournament months in advance. Their passion for hockey and seeing interest in the tournament grow makes it all worthwhile.

“Everywhere I go, people ask me about it,” says Brennan. “They want to know what’s new this year, how it’s going. It’s great to see all the support and momentum we’ve got behind us.”

Although hockey is the main focus of the weekend, there’s plenty of eating, drinking, and partying to be done as well. There’s one particular part of the weekend that Brennan looks forward to the most.

“Saturday night,” he laughs. “The games are all over, the work’s done, the pressure’s off, and Showtime takes the stage at 9.”

The event is open to the public and concessions will be available on-site in a heated tent throughout the weekend, as well as at the ice shanty, located right on the lake. There will be a buffet dinner party Friday night at The Woods Inn, open to players and the general public. The cost of the dinner party is $20 and includes a buffet dinner, drink specials and Labatt Blue giveaways. Live entertainment is planned for both Friday and Saturday nights at The Woods Inn.

All Adirondack Ice Bowl games will be played in a four-on-four, no goalie, round-robin format. Games will be played in two 15-minute halves with a five minute intermission. All teams are guaranteed three games, with the possibility for more if they make it to the medal rounds.

There will be an open division, considered the competitive division of the tournament open to men and women age 21 and older. There will also be divisions for men and women 40 and older, as well as for those 50 and older.

All the slots have been filled, with 40 teams competing this year, up from 26 last year. 240 eager players will take to the ice over the course of the weekend. The game schedule has been expanded to accommodate the growing number of teams. This year there will be games under the lights both Friday and Saturday evenings. Having four rinks allows the hockey action to continue nonstop.

The Adirondack Ice Bowl is sponsored by Hamilton Orthopedics and Zamboni sponsors, the Enchanted Forest/Waters Edge and Timber Lane Lodges.

Organizers are still in need of more volunteers for the weekend. Anyone who wants to help, or is looking for more information about the event, can visit www.adiron-dackicebowl.com.