Let's play hockey: Pond tourney honors boys love for the game
Jan. 29—It takes more than frigid temperatures to keep Minnesotans from playing hockey, especially when it's in memory of a boy who loved the sport.
The 14th Anthony Ford Pond Hockey Classic persisted through bitter cold conditions Saturday and Sunday at North Mankato's Spring Lake Park. The tournament honors Anthony, the Mankato boy who died of leukemia at age 9 in 2006, by raising funds for leukemia research and youth hockey scholarships.
It's a fitting way to memorialize Anthony, said Shari Dickerman, a former goalie for Minnesota State University's women's hockey team who knew the boy.
"It's great to see the community rally around that and keep Anthony's memory alive," she said. "His love of the game is what you see out here."
The tournament drew 19 adult teams, both men and women, Saturday and 37 youth teams, both boys and girls, Sunday. So many teams coming back each year to honor Anthony's passion for the sport makes it a special annual tradition, said Anthony's mom, Robin Ford.
"I think if it was 20 below they'd still be out here playing," she said. "This brings it back to the roots of hockey being on the pond."
Dickerman is now an assistant coach at MSU. After getting back from a road series against Ohio State on Sunday morning, she bundled up and headed straight to the tournament.
She grew up skating in Richmond, a small city west of St. Cloud, where her home rink was outdoors. The tournament brings her back to those days spent hanging out with buddies on the ice.
"You forget the cold because you're just having a good time," she said.
Now, her daughter and two sons play outdoors at the pond hockey classic. Tucker Dickerman, one of the sons, was readying for a playoff match-up against Waseca with his team when asked what the key was to beating the cold Sunday.
Layer up and keep moving, he said, because "when you play you get warm."
His team's name, Ferda, is hockey slang shorthand for "for the," as in "for the boys." They liked their chances of winning Sunday, but said they also liked how the tournament isn't too serious.
Like Shari Dickerman, Darren Blue grew up playing on ponds and outdoor rinks in East Grand Forks. He went on to play for MSU's men's team before serving as an assistant coach for 21 years.
Considering how much hard work and how many volunteers it takes to put the tournament on each year, Blue said, seeing the smiles on everyone's faces once they get on the ice makes it well worth it.
"You think back to Anthony and him going through the toughest of times with a smile on his face," he said. "Thanks to all the people who worked to put something together to remember a fantastic young kid."
For more information on the Anthony Ford Pond Hockey Classic, including volunteering and donation opportunities, go to www.anthonyford99.com.
Follow Brian Arola @BrianArola
