The outdoor pond hockey tournament requires freezing temperatures, but the recent cold weather snap was more than many suspected. The temperatures hovered in the single digits most of the day, but with the wind, it felt like minus 20 degrees.

“We’re having fun,” Sleepy Eye Pond Hockey Association board member Elliot Braun said during the tournament. “It is cold, but it is fun.”

Braun was unsure if it was colder this year or last year but was excited to see the community rally around the outdoor sporting event. From the first puck drop of the tournament to the final goal, a crowd of spectators was on hand to cheer on the teams.

“It’s good to see the town come out for this,” Association board member Alex Bruggeman said. “It’s about as Minnesota as it gets. There’s a negative 25 windchill and we’re out playing hockey.”

Last year’s pond hockey champion’s 1919 compete against River Valley Valley Sanitation (RVS) in the tournament playoff. Team 1919 would go one to win the championship for a second year running.

Sleepy Eye Pond Hockey Association President Lucas Heiderscheidt said it might have been the coldest year yet for the tournament, but that did not seem to matter. The teams were determined to play and the community supported them.

In addition to serving as president of the Pond Hockey Association, Lucas Heiderscheidt played with the River Valley Sanitation (RVS) team. His team was a conglomerate of players from Sleepy Eye and New Ulm. RVS played well in the tournament, coming up one game short of making it to the finals, and being eliminated by Team 1919.

Heiderscheidt described pond hockey as more fast-paced than traditional hockey. The rink is smaller, and there are fewer players on the ice, but that makes passing and securing positions more important.

Lucas’ brother Max Heiderscheidt agreed. He said pond hockey was a tighter game with everyone on the move. Max Heiderscheidt played for the Carl’s Corner team.

Though the tournament is held in Sleepy Eye, it does pull in teams and players from around the region. Many of the players came from New Ulm, but players came from as far away as the Twin Cities and Grand Marais.

Lucas Heiderscheidt, president of the Sleepy Eye Pond Hockey Association, clears the rink following the River Valley Sanitation’s (RVS) game against Troy LeBlanc Trucking (TLT).

One team, Troy LeBlanc Trucking (TLT), was made entirely of Grand Marais area players. Brock LeBanc of Finland, MN said this was the third year in a row he played for TLT in the Sleepy Eye Pond hockey tournament. He and his team learned about the tournament from the Heiderscheidt family. The LeBlanc and Heiderscheidt families have been friends for years and it did not take much convincing to attend the tournament.

“We really like hockey,” LeBlanc said.

The furthest an individual player came to attend the tournament was from San Diego, California. Matt Mielke, a Sleepy Eye native is stationed with the Navy in San Diego but wanted to return home for the tournament. He played in the tournament two years ago but missed last year.

“It is a great group of guys and I didn’t want to miss playing with them again,” he said.

Mielke played for Randy’s Family Drug and the team made it to the championship match, however, team 1919 once again took home the championship trophy.

Brothers Lucas (left) and Max Heiderscheidt sweep the rink ice in between games during the Sleepy Eye Pond Hockey Classic. The two brothers played for separate teams with Lucas on River Valley Sanitation team and Max playing Carl’s Corner.

Lucas Heiderscheidt presented Team 1919 with a prize check of $1,000 and the coveted keg-shaped trophy.

Heiderscheidt was pleased to see so many people remain with the tournament until the end.

“It is a very good turnout in spite of the cold,” Lucas Heiderscheidt said. “The people involved in putting this on have been really great. The whole community has come together to get this done.”

Heiderscheidt estimated that $80,000 was spent on the tournament over the last four years in terms of sponsorships and donations. He could not thank the community enough for continuing to support the tournament.

A.J. Arneson, Captain of the 1919 team, holds the Sleepy Eye Pond Hockey tournament trophy. For the second year in a row his team won the winter outdoor classic.

Team 1919, won the 2025 Sleepy Eye Pond Hockey Classic Saturday. Team 1919 were last year’s defending champions, with most of the 2024 team returning to win it again. Standing: (L to R) A.J. Ameson, Dan Sandvig, Ryan Petersen, Jacob Berg, Braxten Hoffmann and Teagan Kamm kneeling: Toby Sengvongxay and Keagan Schiro