Pond Hockey

Heavy snow was predicted for today, and it arrived early in the afternoon. When I got home tonight my wife informed me that our three boys were down on the lake playing Hockey. We walked down and watched for a while. Now that winter is finally here the lake is now finally frozen over. This is the little lake, the mighty Ontario does not freeze over far out away from shore. Oneida is shallow and is a favorite for ice fishing and snowmobiling. It’s not bad for hockey either, as long as you don’t mind shoveling and being out in the blowing snow. There wasn’t much wind, but it was snowing pretty good. I think every kid should get a chance to play pond hockey. The rules are simple, and it’s all for fun. No one’s out to flatten anyone against the boards. You skate, pass the puck, and shoot low. No slap shots, just a quick chip into the net. A stick, skates, gloves, warm jacket and a good toque are all you need. Having a puck helps too, especially a shinny puck if you have one. I’ll be sure to get their skates sharpened before regular practice on the artificial ice. Hopefully there’ll be a lot of good ice before the winter melts away. Until then we’ll keep our hot coco supply well fortified for after game warm ups. For now, there are a lot of wet jackets, gloves and socks drying out in front of the fire, but that’s normal at our house. “The more that things change, the more they stay the same”