Alaska's military hockey tournament continues, grows

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. William Farrow
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Ten teams competed in two divisions in the Annual 2007 Alaska Armed Forces Hockey Tournament March 28-April 1 at Ft. Wainwright, Alaska.

More than 120 players comprised of active duty and Air National Guard Airmen and Soldiers, Canadian Armed Forces, civilian employees and dependents, skated in 33 games over the tournament hosted by the Skunks, a team comprised mostly of Alaska Air National Guardsmen.

To participate in the tournament, players had to hold a Department of Defense identification card and be 16 years of age or older.

Following guidelines set by Hockey USA (the sport's governing body in America), the tournament was split into two divisions.

In a fast-paced shoot-out Sunday, Eielson Icemen defeated the Ft. Wainwright Grizzlies 8-6 to take the Tier II championship.

Mirror Pond Moose, a team of Canadian Armed Forces players assigned to Elmendorf via NORAD, claimed the Tier III championship by defeating Eielson's beginner-level Icemen team 2-0.

"I'm proud of a hard fought second place finish," said Icemen Tier III forward Bill Renner. "We know what we are up against so next year we'll be ready for them," he said.

The tournament officially began in 1997 and alternates between locations in Fairbanks and Anchorage.

Volunteers from participating units normally take the lead in putting tournament together.

Skating for the Skunks wasn't enough for Matt Mrzena, who jumped at the opportunity to put together the 2007 tournament.

"Obviously, we all love hockey and it's great to get all of us together not only to compete, but for the camaraderie as well," Mrzena said.

Major Mrzena, an officer assigned to the Alaska Air National Guard's 168th Air Refueling Wing, said a majority of the work he performed prior to the tournament went into securing ice time, pucks, referees, time keepers and answering questions for the out-of-towners who trekked north to Fairbanks.

Logistically, Mrzena said he put in many hours ensuring the tournament ran smoothly so players could concentrate on the time they spent competing on the ice; a well deserved luxury for many of the Soldiers who returned from a 450-plus-day tour to Iraq in December.


"Army or Air Force, American or Canadian, Guard or active duty, here at this tournament we all have common interests--we have a military association and we're playing the sport we love; hockey," he said.

Morin explained that most hockey players are passionate about staying with the sport. However, he said hockey isn't a sport people have available to them throughout their entire military career.

He said a lot of the players who grew up playing hockey don't often have an opportunity to keep playing after joining the military, unlike many athletes perfecting their game on the basketball courts and softball diamonds located on virtually every military installation.

"Most of the time ice rinks just aren't a part of the community we're assigned to," Morin said.

However, for people stationed in Alaska, the opportunity to play is greater because of the availability of ice rinks.

"Whether lacing up the skates in a heated locker room in an arena or skating at an outside rink with the temperature at minus 20, hockey is strong in the communities of Alaska," he said. "If you're into playing hockey, this is the place to be stationed."

Mrzena agreed, but he explained that the sport isn't just for people who grew up with ice rinks in the neighborhood. Mrzena didn't begin playing the fast-paced sport until 2003.

Growing up the Tennessee, Mrzena said he didn't have an opportunity to be around the sport first hand, but he began playing after settling to Alaska. He said he's grown to appreciate every minute he spends darting up and down the ice, checking opponents and banging in the corners for loose pucks.

"It's a sport that gets in your blood," he said.