Clearly Canadian: pond hockey tournament returns to Logan Lake

Jan 15, 2016 | 4:03 PM

LOGAN LAKE, B.C. — If you feel the need to reaffirm your Canadian identity, Logan Lake might be the place for you this weekend. The community is hosting its 9th annual Pond Hockey Classic, and unless you have plans to ride a moose through a Tim Horton’s Drive-Thru, it might be the most Canadian place on Earth this weekend.

WATCH ABOVE: Full video report by Adam Donnelly

There’s Stompin’ Tom Connors blaring over the PA system. Crews are hard at work, clearing snow off the sheets.Today marks the opening day of the 9th annual Logan Lake Pond Hockey Classic.

By the look of things, the hard work has paid off. Tournament Organizer Jeff Carter says his four-man crew put in around 600 man hours, prepping the lake for the event. “We start about late November, and as soon as we can get quads on the ice, were out clearing the whole surface area,” said Carter.

Corey Harris and his team, the Whalley Woodchucks, have taken aprt in the tournament every year it’s been on, and have even won it a few times. He says the event is a highlight of his winter. “Growing up on the coast, we never got this sort of stuff,” the Surrey resident said. “We started coming 9 years ago, and we haven’t missed ever since.”

Runners-up last yeare, the Woodchucks are hopeful they can regain the title this year. “We’re a little step slower, due to age and some grey hairs, but, uh. we’re gonna give’r,” Harris said, confident his team can contend for t

While the hockey is an important part of the weekend, the event is a way for the community of Logan Llake to come together, and show what it has to offer.