Hockey spirit
Travis Koso, 13, speeds along the ice in an unofficial hockey game against a team from Alberta on Friday at Woodland Park in Kalispell. Koso, a member of the Eskimo Brothers, and others already had flights and a house rented when the Montana Pond Hockey Classic had to be canceled due to ice conditions. As a nod to the state where most of their members reside, the team wore names of the characters in the movie “Mystery Alaska” on their jerseys. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)
Two hockey teams, mostly from Alaska and Alberta, gathered on the ice at Woodland Park for hockey and beer on Friday afternoon Iin Kalispell.
The players had planned to take part in the annual Montana Pond Hockey Classic, which was scheduled for this weekend at Foys Lake. When the event was canceled due to ice conditions Shiloh Barrett, who recently moved from Alaska to Lewistown, began making calls about reserving the ice at Woodland and began reaching out to other teams about joining them for some unofficial matches.
“Most of us already had nonrefundable tickets,” said J.P. Coulombe. “On the Tuesday before we were to take off, Shiloh called us and told us to bring our gear.”
Although the canceled tournament is disappointing, Coulombe said it would not keep him from returning to Montana. “If we get another team together next year, I’ll be back.”