The recent series of snowstorms has made life miserable for high school athletic directors.
That also can be said for Patrick Guerette, the tournament director of the Maine Pond Hockey Classic.
Guerette had to cancel this weekend’s event on Snow Pond and Messalonskee Lake in Sidney because of the amount of snow.
He said there were 41 teams registered for the third annual event.
Guerette explained that they had trouble clearing the snow, and when they did, the weight of the snow piles “buckled the ice” and created a potential safety hazard.
“I’m devastated. Not only for me, but there were a lot of other people who donated their time and spent some of their own money to put this together,” said Guerette.
They scoured the central Maine area looking for an alternate site but couldn’t find one.
He said that they couldn’t reschedule the event because there was no guarantee conditions would be significantly improved, and he didn’t want teams to travel only to have it postponed again.
In the first Maine Pond Hockey Classic, the first day had to be cancelled because of a snowstorm, but last year’s event went off without a hitch.
Guerette said he and the others involved with putting on the Maine Pond Hockey Classic intend to research solutions to the snow predicament so future events can still be held without endangering the players.
“I think we’ll have 50 or 60 teams next year,” he said.
There were going to be six divisions of players using 10 rinks.
The Polar Bear Dip, which is held in conjunction with the Maine Pond Hockey Classic, will be rescheduled.
The proceeds from the dip go to the Kid’s Kitchen at the Alfond Youth Center in Waterville. It serves more than 40,000 hot meals to about 200 children every year.