Plaster Rock World Pond Hockey Championships

PAST TOURS - Plaster Rock, N.B., Canada 2006
Beijing International Ice Hockey

As par for China - these logos, photos & articles were scanned
contrary to copyright laws - BUT it is for good for good will
and the betterment of Pond Hockey - Thanks!

After pregnancy ravaged Team Beijing, replacements were found in North America to help Ray represent China in unique this international tournament.

Team Beijing (white): Doug, David Lavigne, Glenn Niccolai, Ray Plummer with
Lady Speed-stick (red) Gail Sullivan, Michelle McPhail, Mary Bellefeuille & Nikki Plant

Brass tack description:
- 4 players to a team - 4X4 play at all times - no subs
- games are 2 X 15 minute halves with a 5 minute break to drink beer/whiskey
- 20 rinks going at one time
- no equipment (some wimps used shin pads contrary to the spirit of the games)
- no lift passes or shots - nets are about 8 inches high X 6 feet
- no goaltending

Results: 3 Wins, 2 losses
16-10 Vs. Halifax, NS - Manu Auto Exchange
16-22 Vs. Ottawa, ON - Returning Chumps
23-13 Vs. Kanata, ON - Lady Speedstick
13-17 Vs. Flossmore, IL - 4th Line
18-1 Vs. Plaster Rock, NB - Commets

Comments:
We only played one team that had a "We must win" attitude and we took many shots to our shins and used non-polite language. All of the games were incredibly fun and fast. Honourable Mention goes out to Lady Speedstick (Gail Sullivan, Michelle McPhail, Mary Bellefeuille & Nikki Plant - now you can be Googled!) - Between periods and after the game, they introduced us to Fireball Whiskey and a bottle or two or three may have been consumed by these jovial ladies. They had the true spirit of the games!

Weather:
Our Thursday night game was -10C - we all wore touques, jeans, hockey gloves & jerseys, and once we started moving, it was no problem. Friday was +5 and the monsoon season came early to New Brunswick! After there was over an inch of water on the rinks and no end in sight, games were cancelled and postponed until Saturday - COLD - @(#*&%@# COLD!!! -36C in the morning, with 40km/h winds - In Plaster Rock you don't work out wind chill - if you're that stupid to play hockey in warm weather gear, you deserve what you get. We wore touques, neck warmers, 2 long sleeve shirts, 2 sweaters, hockey jersey, long johns, sweats, gloves under our hockey gloves... Brrrr... And we like all teams in our division of 40 teams, had 4 games that day!

Organization:
Absolutely amazing!!! The whole town and surrounding areas volunteer to help turn this logging town of 1,200 into Hockey Mecca! They did an great job in dealing with the weather and rescheduling. Evening parties were great fun, lots of Canadian maritime beers, mussels, maritime music... For it's scale, it is a must see and a must play in tournament. Special thanks to the tournament Danny Braun.

Links: www.plasterrock.com www.worldpondhockey.com

2006 WORLD POND HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM RANKINGS

Rank	#	Team Name	Captain	Hometown	Gms	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts	Plus

1	21	Boston Danglers	Cooper Naylor	Boston, MA	10	10	0	0	234	63	20	95
2	22	Barrie Theta TTS Bruins	Kevin Culhane	Orillia, ON	10	9	1	0	183	58	18	77
3	26	Cornwall 6-Shooters	Scott Barnes	S. Stormont, ON	9	8	1	0	231	81	16	59
4	43	Sadler's Wheat Kings	David Myles	Fredericton, NB	9	7	2	0	165	112	14	37
5	54	Stately Elms Fallen Leafs	Brian Whitehead	Fredericton, NB	8	7	1	0	167	66	14	62
6	99	Larchmont Lightning	Peter Gross	Larchmont, NY	8	7	1	0	167	100	14	60
7	63	Progressive Planning	Dave Deap	Fredericton, NB	8	7	1	0	154	96	14	55
8	100	Advil Achers	Mike Kolber	Peace River, AB	8	7	1	0	151	87	14	47
9	36	Comedy Central	Shawn Kallet	New York, NY	7	6	1	0	155	50	12	51
10	119	Minnesota Shockers	Herm Finnegan	Minneapolis, MN	7	6	1	0	154	90	12	44
11	81	Green Mountain Boys	Mark Aiken	Bolton, VT	7	6	1	0	132	73	12	39
12	118	Team Roots	Todd Cerruti	Norwell, MA	7	6	1	0	135	81	12	37
13	69	Crazy-8's	Pat March	Sydney, NS	7	5	1	1	150	90	11	40
14	60	Shorcan	Gary Robertson	Toronto, ON	7	5	1	1	114	70	11	35
15	52	Barrett Diversified Corp.	Peter Clark	Woodstock, NB	7	5	2	0	132	79	10	36
16	33	West Coast Pineridders	Ron Harding	Burnaby, BC	7	5	2	0	120	83	10	23
17	13	Brain Tumor Crusadors	Rick Jenkins	Fredericton, NB	6	5	1	0	125	67	10	41
18	24	Rhode Island Reds	Derek Borek	Providence, RI	6	5	1	0	118	59	10	35
19	91	Skids & Cowpaddies	Marty Jenkins	Fredericton, NB	6	5	1	0	98	64	10	28
20	23	Returning Chumps	Fabrice Lombardi	Ottawa, ON	6	4	1	1	100	82	9	21
21	30	Newfie Blue Stars	David Manning	St. John's, NL	6	4	1	1	96	79	9	17
22	94	Radio-Canada-Atlantic	Jean-Phillipe Martin	Moncton, Nb	6	4	2	0	115	76	8	24
23	4	SWP Industries	Arlen Christensen	New Denmark, NB	6	4	2	0	114	67	8	22
24	84	DDC Canada	Luc Belliveau	Memramcook, NB	6	4	2	0	114	65	8	21
25	74	MOE	Kevin Charles	Cabin John, MD	6	4	2	0	89	70	8	20
26	120	Operation Slapshot	Caleb Cook	Fredericton, NB	6	4	2	0	121	80	8	20
27	101	BEASM	Ron Blum	Washington, DC	6	3	1	2	91	72	8	12
28	46	Y.A.N.K.S.	Bryan Gruley	Chicago, IL	6	3	3	0	76	73	6	8
29	85	Hard Chargers	Kevin Keaveney	Exeter, NH	6	3	3	0	81	72	6	6
30	1	Labatt Breweries	Brad Henderson	Saint John, NB	6	3	3	0	82	66	6	3
31	57	U.S.Eh	Steve Jeffers	Short Hill, NJ	6	3	3	0	87	90	6	3
32	58	Cayman Breakaway	Bill Messer	Georgetown, C.Isl.	6	2	4	0	76	126	4	-28

33	41	Montreal Maroons	David Burridge	Montreal, QC	5	4	1	0	83	48	8	30
34	16	Jacques Whitford	Bob Kaine	Saint John, NB	5	4	1	0	122	70	8	30
35	92	Ten Mile Housers	Blaine Fitzpatrick	Ten Mile House, PE	5	4	1	0	130	74	8	30
36	51	Calgary Rustlers	Randy Donkersloot	Calgary, AB	5	4	1	0	94	48	8	26
37	79	Portage Mooseheads	David Guest	Portage La Prairie, MB	5	4	1	0	69	54	8	25
38	73	Snuuz Team	Renato Maggi	Kioten, Switz.	5	4	1	0	77	53	8	23
39	25	Shannon's Shamrock's	John Shannon	Oakville, ON	5	4	1	0	71	50	8	21
40	112	Yukon Gold Brewers	Mike Cozens	Whitehorse, YK	5	4	1	0	65	51	8	21
41	110	Montreal Pro-Hardware	Randy Crawford	Montreal, QC	5	4	1	0	88	54	8	19
42	9	Tobique Bogan Blazers	Chad Jenkins	Plaster Rock, NB	5	4	1	0	70	61	8	9
43	3	Labrador Wolves	Adam Buckle	Halifax / Labrador	5	3	1	1	100	56	7	24
44	83	Doyley's Lawnmowers	Glen McCuride	Manotick, ON	5	3	1	1	77	53	7	16
45	89	Tobique Road Runners	Tom Toner	Grand Falls, NB	5	3	1	1	95	86	7	9
46	78	McCain Crinkle Cut	Luc Cote	Grand Falls, NB	5	3	2	0	72	45	6	21
47	49	Maine WingNuts	Matt Stetson	Pownal, ME	5	3	2	0	78	58	6	18
48	31	Calif. Rat Beach Reds	Jody Rath	Redondo Beach, CA	5	3	2	0	79	49	6	17
49	75	Beijing Foxes	Ray Plummer	Beijing, China	5	3	2	0	82	63	6	19
50	10	P.C. Raggedy Ass River Boys	Mike Charlebois	Plaster Rock, NB	5	3	2	0	74	57	6	16
51	40	Beaver Barley Kings	Bradley Rodgers	MacGregor, MB	5	3	2	0	88	75	6	13
52	115	Island Selects	Alex Godfrey	Charlottetown, PE	5	3	2	0	81	66	6	12
53	59	Ernie's Ice Cats	Colin Ives	S. Norwalk, CT	5	3	2	0	83	68	6	12
54	102	Screamin Beavers	Peter Evans	Iqaluit, Nunavut	5	3	2	0	65	55	6	10
55	12	Goaldiggers	Wyatt Ashworth	Plaster Rock, NB	5	3	2	0	58	49	6	9
56	93	St. James Shamrocks	John McCann	Dublin, Ireland	5	3	2	0	62	62	6	7
57	111	Clinton Comets	Erik Nates	Chester Springs, PA	5	3	2	0	91	74	6	7
58	108	Lafarge Lightning	Mark Anderson	Hudson, ON	5	3	2	0	56	59	6	5
59	27	Day and Ross	Randy Wallace	Hartland, NB	5	3	2	0	66	72	6	5
60	95	Fredericton Bombers	Dan Crabbe	Fredericton, NB	5	3	2	0	53	60	6	0
61	68	Maritime Mafia	Todd Mulherin	Vancouver, BC	5	3	2	0	80	81	6	-1
62	62	Lancaster Metal/ Pride Mob.	Ryan Kett	Hagersville, ON	5	3	2	0	65	74	6	-2
63	34	Rossignol's Rebels	Tim Titus	Plaster Rock, NB	5	3	2	0	86	101	6	-5
64	32	Fourth Line	John Kern	Flossmoor, IL	5	3	2	0	51	62	6	-8
65	7	Valley Retreads	Derek Kennedy	Plaster Rock, NB	5	3	2	0	43	56	6	-11
66	90	Bad News Polar Bears	Shawn Ells	Fredericton, NB	5	2	3	0	63	58	4	5
67	53	Smith's Dance Academy	Jamie Smith	Grafton, NB	5	2	3	0	82	71	4	4
68	104	Nanaimo Bars	David Edgar	Nanaimo, BC	5	2	3	0	78	70	4	-1
69	20	Hedgers Heroes	Trevor Greer	Plaster Rock, NB	5	2	3	0	60	61	4	-2
70	80	K.E.C.K. Swiss	Christian Brandli	Kreuzlingen, Switz.	5	2	3	0	66	70	4	-2
71	116	Dela's Ninja Slippers	Mike Lewis	Saint Louis, MO	5	2	3	0	60	65	4	-3
72	105	Apollos	Todd Levy	Chappaqua, NY	5	2	3	0	64	69	4	-5
73	86	River Dogs	Michael Messer	Tisdale, SK	5	2	3	0	90	95	4	-6
74	11	Pro Hardware	Tyler Crawford	Plaster Rock, NB	5	2	3	0	77	84	4	-7
75	71	Royal Bank Team	Bruce Young	Bathurst, NB	5	2	3	0	57	63	4	-8
76	18	Team Ramrod	Scott Wark	Plaster Rock, NB	5	2	3	0	52	70	4	-9
77	39	Peakes Quay Kings	Gordie Howard	Charlottetown, PE	5	2	3	0	41	70	4	-11
78	103	Boiled Owls	Les Burridge	St. Andrews, NB	5	2	3	0	48	66	4	-14
79	61	Le Prefab de Thetford Mines	Pierre-Luc Lavallee	Thetford Mines, QC	5	2	3	0	60	82	4	-14
80	113	Philadelphia Urban Archivers	Michael Lalli	Philadelphia, PA	5	2	3	0	49	84	4	-16
81	117	Can-Am Connection	Thomas Tiernan	Lawrenceville, GA	5	2	3	0	65	95	4	-21
82	65	D.K. Tompkins Timberwolves	Hugh Shirley	Plaster Rock, NB	5	2	3	0	48	82	4	-22
83	29	O'fers	Jason St. Thomas	Perth Andover, NB	5	2	3	0	35	75	4	-24
84	82	The Chiefs	Rick Gould	Moncton, NB	5	1	3	1	48	99	3	-29
85	70	Foxtrot Faces	Dave Christie	Ottawa, ON	5	1	4	0	69	75	2	-10
86	19	Whiskey Train	Dusty Corey	Plaster Rock, NB	5	1	4	0	61	75	2	-13
87	56	Simsbury Fighting Calves	Dennis Hayes	Simsbury, CT	5	1	4	0	77	78	2	-18
88	106	Knoxville Knights	Reid Claiborne	Knoxville, TN	5	1	4	0	62	87	2	-18
89	72	Bushwood Country Club	Robb Moody	Denver, CO	5	1	4	0	56	76	2	-19
90	107	Alberta Shamrocks	Bud Kelly	Red Deer, AB	5	1	4	0	74	103	2	-23
91	28	4-Play	Mike Bolster	Perth Andover, NB	5	1	4	0	60	106	2	-27
92	77	Hurrikanes	Bob Kane	Saint John, NB	5	1	4	0	56	94	2	-28
93	109	Virginia Hornets	Dennis Curtin	Manassas, VA	5	1	4	0	37	80	2	-30
94	8	Arthurette Comets	Keith Robertson	Arthurette, NB	5	1	4	0	57	106	2	-32
95	6	Mullins Furniture	Terry Harding	Plaster Rock, NB	5	1	4	0	40	84	2	-34
96	87	Oshawofters	Richard Arden	Oshawa, ON	5	1	4	0	43	106	2	-34
97	114	Labatt Breweries #2	Phil Masse	Bathurst, NB	5	1	4	0	53	103	2	-38
98	17	Pro Hardware II	Jeff Moore	Plaster Rock, NB	5	0	4	1	49	99	1	-31
99	44	Porter Pak	Evan Witherly	Arthurette, NB	5	0	4	1	43	91	1	-37
100	5	Briggs Laminators	Jon Steeves	Plaster Rock, NB	5	0	5	0	53	97	0	-29
101	38	Trappers	Dave Smrtka	St. Lambert, QC	5	0	5	0	43	96	0	-36
102	15	Cat Rental Store	Andrew Snair	Moncton, NB	5	0	5	0	54	104	0	-37
103	55	New Jersey Bombers	Tony Iulo	Westwood, NJ	5	0	5	0	37	84	0	-38
104	76	Archie's Animals	Jim MacDonald	Navarre, FL	5	0	5	0	53	109	0	-39
105	67	The Pharaohs-Global Conn.	Bill Schofield	Cairo, Egypt	5	0	5	0	47	100	0	-40
106	37	Moose Gents	Greg Barry	Saint John, NB	5	0	5	0	12	80	0	-41
107	64	Puddle Jumpers	Robbie Michaud	Craigs Flat, NB	5	0	5	0	45	98	0	-41
108	97	Flying 4Wards	Mike Ward	Port Huron, MI	5	0	5	0	35	98	0	-43
109	42	Great Swampers	Heston Allocco	Morristown, NJ	5	0	5	0	33	103	0	-43
110	48	Miller Time	Jack Miller	Whitby, ON	5	0	5	0	53	109	0	-43
111	45	Coast Guard Old Salts	Randy Gilmer	Sturgeon Bay, WI	5	0	5	0	46	116	0	-43
112	47	Winsome Foresome	John Ufland	Los Angeles, CA	5	0	5	0	71	138	0	-43
113	14	Fraser Papers	Earle Fawcett	Plaster Rock, NB	5	0	5	0	33	111	0	-45
114	66	Colorado Shovelers	John Molinar	Fort Collins, CO	5	0	5	0	51	115	0	-45
115	98	The Budz	Tony Valle	Toronto, ON	5	0	5	0	35	110	0	-46
116	50	Fort Collins Scrapers	Dave Meisters	Fort Collins, CO	5	0	5	0	32	115	0	-46
117	96	Detroit Sturgeon	Al Jensen	Livonia, MI	5	0	5	0	27	101	0	-47
118	88	Paradise Re-Habs	Rick Bennett	Paradise, NL	5	0	5	0	21	92	0	-49
119	2	Atlantic Cat	Royce Keenan	Fredericton, NB	5	0	5	0	42	117	0	-49
120	35	Lady Speedstick	Gail Sullivan	Kanata, ON	5	0	5	0	43	111	0	-52

Bloomberg Article:

Canadian Pond Hockey Lures Cayman Bankers, Beijing Developers
07:40 (New York) By David Scanlan

Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Money manager Bill Messer traveled 3,200 kilometers (2,000 miles) to play hockey on a frozen Canadian lake. Bill Schofield, a BP Plc engineer, flew in from Cairo. And Ray Plummer came from Beijing after logging practice time on the icy moat surrounding the Forbidden City.

As the world's best skated at the Olympics in Turin, Italy, 120 teams converged for the World Pond Hockey Championship last weekend in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick. Players from nine countries came to relive their childhood passion for outdoor hockey, helping the village of 1,249 develop a reputation for something other than its giant vegetables.

``It's cold but it's beautiful,'' said Messer, who manages $1 billion at Five Continents Financial in the Cayman Islands and left his beachside office to play in temperatures that felt like -38 degrees Celsius (-36 Fahrenheit) with the wind. ``You hear the sound of the skates on the ice and the puck on the stick, it's a wonderful, wonderful feeling.''

The tournament was started in 2002 by Danny Braun, the head of community development in Plaster Rock. He needed money to replace the 35-year-old arena in the lumber town nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, which bills itself as home to the world's largest fiddleheads, a fern-like vegetable. Braun, 42, first tried raising funds from snowmobile races on nearby Roulston Lake. When that failed, he turned to hockey, the country's national sport.

Attracting Champions
Forty teams came to the first tournament; now there are triple that, including one led by 42-year-old Brian Skrudland, who won two Stanley Cups -- the National Hockey League championship -- with Montreal and Dallas. Stories in the Wall Street Journal and Sports Illustrated helped attract teams from across the globe, with 806 applying this year. The teams included players from 26 U.S. states. ``I saw the aerial photo in Sports Illustrated, and I said, `guys, we gotta get there,''' said Renato Maggi, 35, who runs a sports program at the University of Zurich in Switzerland and leads the Snuuz team. ``It may be a once in a lifetime experience.''
The nostril-freezing temperatures and winds that slice through a hockey sweater can't numb the nostalgic attraction for these players. Most are 35 or older and remember playing on frozen ponds or outdoor rinks as kids in Canada, a scene immortalized on the country's C$5 bill, with images of children on a rink ringed by snow-covered pine trees.

Childhood Memories

``It takes me back to being five years old again,'' said Saskatchewan native Messer, whose Breakaway team was sponsored by Cayman Airways. The airline paid for flights for the team to train in Tampa because, as Messer says, the only ice in the Caymans goes in a rum and coke. Even a broken hand couldn't keep him away.

``I wouldn't miss this for the world,'' said 44-year-old Messer, who donated a Cayman jersey to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. He made it to the final round of 32 teams before losing to the eventual finalists, the Bruins from Barrie, Ontario.

Volunteers mark off 20 sheets of ice on the lake for the four-on-four hockey, with no slap shots, substitutions, goalies or referees. The boards are piles of snow, and the nets are about a fifth of normal height at just 10 inches. For a C$400 ($349) fee, each team is guaranteed five 30-minute games over three days. Between games, players skate to a heated tent to rest on benches, warm their toes, and feast on steamed Atlantic mussels and frosty Bud Light beer.

The New Rink

The tourney will raise about C$60,000 this year, adding to the C$125,000 from the previous events, and construction on the rink will begin this spring, Braun says. Another C$500,000 will be spent in the area for hotels and meals.

Winning is more of a bonus for many players, for whom the ice evokes old memories. Plaster Rock native Schofield's pleasure at playing on the same lake he skated on as a child helped make up for his team's losses.

``Our town has never been big on these things, and to see what they
have done is incredible,'' said Schofield, 48, who runs BP's drilling
operations off the coast of Egypt and led the ``Pharaohs'' to the
tournament.

Plummer may have traveled farthest, taking a 12-hour flight from Beijing to New York and heading north. The 35-year-old owner of a construction management company skates with expatriates who pay $200 an hour to play on the moat around the Imperial Palace, or Forbidden City, where emperors ruled China for 500 years.

``You throw down some tuques for nets and play forbidden hockey,'' said Plummer, a Toronto native. ``The emperor never had that much fun.''

The Danglers

In the end, after 331 games and 9,527 goals, the winner, for the third straight year, was the Boston Danglers, a team of Canadians from Boston who played together at Merrimack College in Massachusetts. One of them, 33-year-old Mark Cornforth, even played six games for the Boston Bruins in 1995. It showed.
The Danglers, who dangled, or controlled, the puck on their sticks, crushed their opponents, scoring 14 goals in the final against the Barrie team before about 500 spectators. Cornforth hoisted the replica Stanley Cup, carved from a maple log, as a scratchy tape played ``The Star Spangled Banner'' and the sun dipped behind the spruce and balsam fir trees around the lake.

Cornforth credits his success to his early years in Montreal playing outdoors at night, until his mom yelled at him to come in and do his homework. ``That's where I learned to dangle,'' he said.

--Editor: Alnwick.
For more information on the tournament, see {http://www.plasterrock.com/hockey1}