Hockey festival has feel of outdoor classic

5th Winter Chill draws 100 teams to Ottawa Park

Jack and Celine Kinzler of Trenton, Mich., watch their grandson play for the Southgate Senators during the 5th annual Winter Chill Outdoor Festival at the Ottawa Park Ice Rink in Toledo.

THE BLADE/LORI KING
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Southgate Senator Jordan Comilla, center, follows the puck during a game against LJK White at the Ottawa Park Ice Rink. The Senator players at first struggled to skate on the rougher ice but adapted. Teams from four states and Ontario took part in the event.

Cold winter air was no match for the high spirits at Toledo’s Ottawa Park Ice Rink Saturday during the fifth-annual Winter Chill Outdoor Festival.

Jack and Celine Kinzler of Trenton, Mich., watch their grandson play for the Southgate Senators during the 5th annual Winter Chill Outdoor Festival at the Ottawa Park Ice Rink in Toledo.

The recreational hockey games, organized by Toledo-based Playmaker Sports USA, began Friday and extend through today before picking back up for a second three-day weekend next Friday. Visitors and players alike bundled up to experience the sport where it began: outdoors.

“I grew up playing on this rink,” said David Austin, the organization’s principal. “It was kind of a hidden gem when we first started this festival. We want to promote Toledo and hockey in general. Most of the parents and coaches have all played outdoors growing up, and we’re trying to introduce that to the kids.”

More than 100 teams from four states and Ontario are slated to take part in the festival. Jake Norris of London, Ontario, made the drive to watch his son Cal play with the London Junior Knights.

“It’s getting back to the roots of the game, where it all started,” Mr. Norris said. “It’s a great experience for them, and this is a great facility. Other than what they do with their buddies on the weekend, I don’t think any of these kids have played an organized game outside.”

Kelly Friedman, coach of the Cincinnati Swords team, said his players have been talking about the festival for about two months.

Melanie Pauli of Brighton, Mich., keeps her son Jack covered with a blanket while watching the hockey games during the festival. The festival will continue today and start back up next weekend.

“This is awesome,” Mr. Friedman said. “We were a little concerned about the winter weather warning, but other than that, we haven't had any concerns.”

Players have to adapt to the rougher ice that comes with outdoor rinks subjected to the elements, unlike indoor rinks where the ice is carefully controlled. They also must learn to deal with other elements like sun glare, wind, and snow along with colder air temperatures.

“We adapt pretty well,” said 15-year-old Robbie Hickey of Dayton, goalie for the Cincinnati Swords. “It’s not actually as cold as we thought it was going to be.”

Robbie and his teammates were also adapting to different gear in the form of new sports underclothes to help them stay warm, including head warmers.

The team recently practiced on used ice not smoothed by a Zamboni to help them get used to the rougher texture they would encounter playing outdoors.

Celine Kinzler of Trenton, Mich., said her grandson’s team, the Southgate (Mich.) Senators, spent the first period of their game falling a bit more often than usual as the players learned to adapt to the different ice.

“But they’re just having a blast here,” she said. “I grew up skating on outdoor rinks in Pennsylvania, so it’s good to see them getting that experience too.”

Contact Alexandra Mester: amester@theblade.com, 419-724-6066, or on Twitter @AlexMesterBlade.