PuckFest St.Louis Favorite Hockey Tournament Returns

Michael Daehn and Greg Hausman decided to organize a hockey tournament last spring. 's8220;We had just spent $1500 per team to play in a tournament. We only got to play four games and there were no trophies, no shirts or hats, and the jerseys were so cheap they were falling apart,'s8221; said Daehn. 's8220;I was joking with the guys that we could throw together a better tournament.'s8221; A few weeks later, Daehn and Hausman had reserved the ice and started recruiting teams. PuckFest 2005 occurred last August with eight teams.

's8220;I could not believe how fast we got eight teams,'s8221; remarked Daehn,'s8221; we had eight teams in less than a week.'s8221; Daehn credits Hausman with getting the word out about the tournament. 's8220;Greg is a regular rink rat. He plays at all the rinks around St. Louis and knows lots of guys. Once he told the fellas that they would get five games, a nice jersey, t-shirt, beer mug, trophies, and play for a championship cup for $1250 a team they all signed up.'s8221;

Due to the great response Daehn and Hausman opened up the tournament to twelve teams this year. 's8220;We have three divisions: Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Most of the teams are guys like us in their thirties and forties who still love to play hockey, said Hausman, 's8220;Everyone is here to have a good time and enjoy a great sport.'s8221;

Daehn and Hausman increased the team fee to $1500 this year after losing money last Summer. 's8220;We never did intended this to be a money maker, but we don's8217;t really want to lose money again, remarked Hausman. 's8220;We had to raise the team fee to cover our costs, but we were also able to add some cool extras like a skills competition and a family skate so guys can bring their kids to the rink.'s8221; Hausman's8217;s son Greg is also playing on a team with his Dad. 's8220;He is so excited and it's8217;s fun to able to spend a weekend playing with my son.'s8221;

The players seem to think Daehn and Hausman are doing a good job. 's8220;I go to tournaments all over the country and this is the best one I have ever attended,'s8221; said Shep Hyken, a PuckFest participant. Daehn added, 's8220;Everyone told us we did a great job and they had fun which is what we were trying to do. Hopefully this time we can make a few bucks to pay for more hockey during the year.'s8221;

Puckfest 2006 begins Friday night, June 23 and continues through Sunday evening at the Summit Center Ice Rink in Chesterfield, MO. It is free and open to the public. A tournament schedule is available on the website www.stlpuckfest.com.

PuckFest St.Louis Favorite Hockey Tournament Returns

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PuckFest St.Louis Favorite Hockey Tournament Returns

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