Skaters Go To Battle For Massena Cup

MASSENA - There wasn't enough time in the day or enough ice space to accommodate all the teams that wanted to participate in Massena's first Massena Cup outdoor hockey tournament.

Organizer Ryan Prentice said they had 18 teams who signed up, but they could only accommodate 12 of them for the tournament, which ran from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday at the Massena Arena annex as part of the Massena Winter Carnival.

The teams took to the ice under sunny skies and with a crowd gathered around the annex fence to watch the three-on-three action. Two across-ice games took place simultaneously throughout the day and into the evening.

"The wind's picking up a bit, but it looks like it's going to be nice," Mr. Prentice said as the teams prepared to hit the ice for the first game.

The sun wasn't necessarily a welcome sight. Despite temperatures that hovered in the teens, the sun beating down on the blacktop underneath the ice could have wiped away some of the cover.

But that didn't happen, with the rink holding up for the entire tournament.

"The sun is hurting a little bit today, but we have a 5 to 6-inch base," Mr. Prentice said.

Outdoor hockey was nothing new for some of the players who took to the ice on Friday. Among them was Mark Robideau, who played goalie for the Charleston Chiefs.

Mr. Robideau said he recalls the days before the Massena Arena when the ice hockey action took place at Alcoa Field.

"That's where I grew up playing," he said.

These days, Mr. Robideau plays once a week with the old-timers in the Industrial League.

As he strapped on his leg pads, Mr. Robideau said he was looking forward to getting on the ice, even though the cross-ice game was a little different than his normal games.

"I'll probably feel a little better in a couple of hours. I should get a few more shots," he said.

Tom Carroll was playing for Nationwide, which won their first game by a 9-1 margin.

"It was excellent," he said as he and his and teammates came off the ice and waited to find out their next opponent.

He said the three-on-three game took a little adjustment.

"We usually play standard five-on-five. This was quicker, faster and not that much space. It's just move and get open. It's a quick passing game," said Mr. Carroll, who plays hockey three times a week.

He also plays in the Industrial League, competing at both the Massena and St. Lawrence Centre arenas.

Like Mr. Robideau, Mr. Carroll said he grew up playing outdoor hockey, but his was on the frozen river in Louisville.

The first-ever Massena Cup was specially crafted by wood carver Terry McKendree of Buck Ridge Chainsaw Carving in Dekalb Junction. He was at the tournament with his father, Dallas McKendree who is also a wood carver.

"I talked to Ryan (Prentice). He said it was going to be outdoor and I came up with the idea of rustic," Mr. McKendree said, estimating it took him about four to five hours to craft the trophy that will go to the winner of each year's tournament.

"When Ryan called and said he wanted me to do something, it was appealing. It's nice to do something for the town," he said.

Mr. McKendree, who brought some of his other wood carvings to the hockey tournament, retired as the Potsdam police chief in 2003. Now he gets to devote all of his time to wood carving, whether it's a creation he came up with on his own or one requested by a customer.

"It's nice to be able to turn your hobby into a business," he said. "It's relaxing and it's good physical fitness. It's a challenge to get up every day and do something different."

One of his focuses is on carved bears.

"I like to do bears. I do a lot of other things too. Dogs are a big thing. A lot of people maybe want to remember a dog that died," Mr. McKendree said.

His biggest bear, he said, is one that stands about 10 feet tall at Lake Placid. He also does benches and other special requests, including a carving of one of the members of the Fantastic Four fantasy characters that somebody wanted as a wedding present.

Mr. McKendree will also be at the Canton Winterfest today, giving a carving demonstration.