The ice is ready at Foy’s Lake for the inaugural Montana Pond Hockey Classic that gets underway on Friday.

The three-day event, sponsored by the Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau, has attracted 51 teams and 350 registered players, most of them from out of state.

“The ice is looking pretty good,” Diane Medler, the bureau’s director, said on Wednesday. “It’s firmed up nicely and they are out staking out the rinks and getting it polished pretty good ... The weather is looking good. It’s going to cool down but it shouldn’t be too cold. We are very optimistic.”

It will be the largest outdoor hockey tournament in the western United States and is expected to be a spectator attraction with entertainment on and off the ice.

Lanny McDonald, Stanley Cup champion and a hockey hall of fame member, will welcome players and the public at a kickoff party tonight at his family-owned Tamarack Brewing Co. in Lakeside, where there will be live entertainment from local band, Smart Alex.

McDonald will join the hockey action with several of his former Calgary Flames teammates Friday through Sunday.

Teams will compete in four-on-four action in three divisions: Open, Just for Fun, and Just for Fun 35 Plus.

Thirty out-of-state teams will participate, including players from California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alberta.

There are five rinks plus a family skating pond where skills clinics will be held on Saturday. The rinks are set up on the south end of Foy’s Lake. Parking costs $5 for the weekend.

Competition will be underway from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, playoff games will be held from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. with championship games starting at 1:30 p.m.

“I think it’s going to be really fun for people to watch,” Medler said. “It’s the first time a pond hockey tournament has been held here.”  

On Friday and Saturday, there will be an Old Time Hockey Tournament Village featuring entertainment and vendors from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the Tamarack Brewing Co. Beer Garden will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Sunday, the village opens at 9 a.m. and the beer garden at 10 a.m.

On Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m., “Hockey Night in Montana” will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kalispell. There will be competitions, raffles, auctions and entertainment — all to benefit local youth hockey.

The event is sponsored by Restore Hockey, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making hockey accessible and affordable by offering restored equipment to young players.

The tournament concludes with an awards ceremony at Foy’s Lake on Sunday at 2:15 p.m.

For more information, go to www.pondhockeyclassic.com/montana.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at [email protected].