The USA Pond Hockey tournament in Eagle River is canceled.
The annual championship tournament was scheduled for the weekend of February 9th through 11th.
In a post on the USA Hockey website announcing the cancellation, organizers say the unseasonably warm weather prevented them from being able to ensure player safety on both Dollar Lake or an alternate location.
Teams can get a refund or rollover their entry to next year.
This is the first time the Pond Hockey tournament has been canceled for weather-related reasons. It's been moved to an alternative location three times.
It was canceled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Because of the unseasonably warm weather this year, we determined along with our partners in Eagle River that an off-lake location wasn’t viable as we can’t guarantee we’d be able to build enough ice for safe playing surfaces," USA Hockey told WXPR.
This winter has been warmer than usual with less snow which is expected during a strong El Niño year.
The current temperature outlook from the National Weather Service Climate Predication Center shows a higher probability for above normal temperature through early February.
The current forecast shows above freezing temperatures during the day for the next week.
