ABOVE: The Marina Lodgers (blue) play against Loxley Coffee (orange) during the adult open championship games Sunday on Lake Sisseton during the Southern Minnesota Pond Hockey Tournament.

FAIRMONT– Despite the cold, players and spectators alike turned out for the 15th annual Southern Minnesota Pond Hockey Tournament on Sisseton Lake in Fairmont this past weekend. After being held indoors at the Martin County Arena the last two years for various reasons, the energy returned this year with the change in atmosphere.

More teams competed this year than previous years and the draw may have been bigger considering organizers allowed youth teams to play at no charge this year.

“We had over 225 players come, both youth and adult,” said Myah Lytle, a committee member. “We had more spectators than I’ve seen here and we talked to Bryan Unke from the Marina and he said he bought more food than he ever has before. We were hoping for a good turnout and I think we got one. Even with the cold weather people turned out.”

The Marina Lodge was the presenting sponsor of the event and as it took place on the ice behind the lakeside pub, it saw a steady stream of players and spectators come through over the weekend.

Angie Mosloski, a server at the Marina said, “it was super busy. It’s one of our busiest weekends.”

She said both the upstairs and downstairs bars were open and staffed for the weekend and they had an additional food runner working. The Marina had live entertainment from Kelly Artz on Saturday evening and it had outdoor fire pits lit so people could congregate there, too.

“Last year we were at the arena and it’s just not the same. We hope it’s back here again next year,” Mosloski said.

Dave Dobie is a long-time pond hockey tournament fan who has gone to spectate year after year.

“I watched all of the games. It was a little cold and slippery but everyone played great. It was probably one of the better ones I’ve seen in a while,” he said.

Dobie said he looks forward to the tournament every year and said he appreciated the ambiance of having it back outside this year.

“It was fun to have all of the groups and all of the people I know here,” he said.

Seeing people you know is one of the reasons so many of the players return to participate in the tournament each year, too.

Caleb Harris is a 2011 Fairmont High School graduate and now living in the Twin Cities area, he returns home each year to play.

“I come back for the family and friends. It’s good to see people,” he said.

For the last four years he’s played on the Loxley Coffee team, which is comprised of three sets of brothers. The team ended up winning the whole tournament this year.

Micah Anderson is another Fairmont High School graduate who, now living out of town, comes back for the event. He said he likes the sense of camaraderie that comes with playing in the tournament. He was on the Marina Lodgers team, which is made up of some people he went to school and played hockey with.

“I think it’s a great idea. It brings out the best in Fairmont and what it represents which is a tight social network plus recreation,” Anderson said.

To make the tournament possible, the committee members volunteer their time to market and set up for the event. Generous sponsors around the community also make the event possible. At the heart of it, the Southern Minnesota Pond Hockey Tournament serves as a fundraiser for the Fairmont Youth Hockey Association and all proceeds go to that cause.