MEREDITH -- After two years of being relocated due to poor ice conditions, the premiere event of its kind in the U.S. -- the New England Pond Hockey Classic -- returned to Meredith Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee.
When the final horn sounded Sunday, the Ice Holes defeated A Bunch of Nobody's in the Open Division final.
Founded by Scott Crowder, the three-day Pond Hockey Classic was moved in both 2023 and 2024 to nearby Lake Waukewan, about a mile west of Meredith Bay. The event was canceled outright in 2022.
The tournament, now in its 16th year, annually brings 275 teams together for 4-on-4, no-goalie hockey that is played on 26 rinks.
Last year, the Open Division was won, for a second consecutive time, by Team Grassy Pond, most of whose players hailed from in and around Westford, Mass. They defeated A Bunch of Nobody's on their way to a 4-3 overtime win over the Young Guns.
The 2025 final featured neither the Young Guns nor Team Grassy Pond but A Bunch of Nobody's was there as were the Ice Holes who won 2-1 in regulation. To commemorate their victory, the now four-time Pond Hockey Classic champions will have their team name engraved on what is known as the Lake WinnipeHockey Cup.
"It was great this year," said Tyler Crocker, 38, who has played in every Pond Hockey Classic, starting in 2010. "It was cold enough to freeze, warm enough to play."
A correctional officer from Wakefield, Mass., who mostly plays defense for the Ice Holes, Crocker acknowledged that things got a little "chippy" as Sunday's games with the Nobody's wound down. That said, the hitting was all clean and all in the true spirit of completion, he said.
"We play with them back home" in a league, said Crocker, and everyone gets along well.
Crocker was asked if he and his fellow Ice Holes plan to come back in 2026 to defend their crown. "I sure hope so," he said, "That's the plan."
According to organizers, the tournament "embraces the essence of a sport built upon cold winters and frozen ponds. Each year thousands of pond hockey faithful, from over 42 States and six Canadian provinces take to the ice, to battle the elements and play the sport the way it was meant to be played."
The Pond Hockey Classic showcases "a culture that refuses to fade into history, an atmosphere that is alive and a passion that resides in anyone who has ever laced up a pair of skates."
Crowder, the tournament's founder, said the excitement coming into the 2025 PHC was "palpable."
"I think, when you look at the last handful of years, it hasn't been the event we wanted to put on, but this year it really did not disappoint," he said.
The tournament drew "about 2,200 participants" Crowder said, who enjoyed "beautiful, beautiful conditions."