Organizers of the Montana Pond Hockey Classic skated to a new venue Tuesday: This weekend’s hockey will be at Woodland Park in Kalispell.

The change came after unseasonably warm weather made the conditions too unstable at Foy’s Lake, the original site. 

Diane Medler, director of the Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau, said organizers still hope to create an outdoor atmosphere at Woodland for the three-day event Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“We’ll be using the rink and also the natural pond,” she said, adding that the space will accommodate the teams.

Foy’s Lake was flooded Monday night in an attempt to improve the conditions as overnight low temperatures dipped into the teens. On Tuesday, though, it wasn’t good enough to support a tournament of more than 60 teams.

Smith Valley Fire Chief D.C. Haas said that the issue wasn’t just the thickness of the ice of Foy’s Lake, but the quality. Even with freezing temperatures at night, the ice turned to slush by afternoon.

“I think it was a good decision that we all came to that conclusion together,” Haas said. “When it comes to public safety, you have to err on the side of caution.”

Medler already had been working on a contingency plan for the tournament. She submitted an event application to the Kalispell City Council to consider at Tuesday night’s meeting. It includes a request for alcohol consumption for more than 250 people. According to the bureau, more than 3,200 people showed up for the inaugural pond hockey tournament in 2014.

The pond hockey tournament will have to work around a previously scheduled event at the Woodland Ice Center. The Moving Forward Foundation will host sled hockey clinics for disabled people Saturday and Sunday. 

Medler said that the clinics, which will occur for a few hours each day, will run simultaneous with hockey games. She said she has been working with Starla Hilliard Barnes of the Moving Forward Foundation to make both events work.  

In a news release, Pond Hockey Classic Commissioner Scott Crowder said there will be a conditioned rink at Woodland Park plus multiple natural rinks set up for the event. There will be four-on-four tournament games, a community skate night and children’s activities.

A kickoff event for the Pond Hockey Classic will be at Moose’s Saloon at 5 p.m. on Thursday.