SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The 2026 Syracuse Pond Hockey Classic fell on the coldest morning in the city since February 2023, but the tournament went on at Clinton Square with all 16 teams and a crowd on hand.
“It just kind of epitomizes the Syracuse attitude,” said Tim O’Donnell, the founder and director of the event. “You can sit around and complain about the cold, or you can say you know what, I’m going to go out and enjoy myself and the people I love, and I think that’s what we see here today.”
O’Donnell sees the event as a way to “combine the soul of a sport built upon cold winters with the warm spirit of a neighborhood.”
The hockey community is growing in New York State, with USA Hockey citing a 2.7% increase in registration in the state from the 2023-2024 season to the 2024-2025 season. Dallas Martin, a fan attending his first Pond Hockey Classic, said the crowd showed Syracuse’s passion for the sport.
“This is a pretty good amount of people,” he said. “It shows Syracuse is really a hockey city, no matter where you go.”
The average January temperature in Syracuse is 23 degrees, but the low reached -9 degrees two hours before puck drop. For O’Donnell, this tournament is as much about showing resilience against the winter as it is winning.
“You can either embrace it and love it and be out in it, or you can sit and mope,” he said. “I think these people out here chose to embrace it.”
Shaun Norfolk, a Syracuse native and co-owner of McKie Sports hockey shop, was proud to see the hometown representation despite the abnormal temperatures.
“This is kind of what we grew up doing. To a lot of people, it’s kind of crazy. To us, it’s kind of normal,” Norfolk said. “Even in the last game, I saw 10 or 11 players that grew up in the city of Syracuse, which is pretty rare. To have a bunch of city kids representing out here is pretty cool.”
The Syracuse Pond Hockey Classic has been annual since 2020. The tournament used to be held at Hiawatha Lake, but after two years of cancellations due to lack of ice, it’s expected to stay at Clinton Square.
Proceeds this year benefited We Rise Above The Streets Recovery Outreach and Tillie’s Touch.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Syracuse Pond Hockey Classic
REPORTER, SPENCER BULEY: It was the coldest morning in Syracuse since 2023 at -9 degrees. But if you drove by Clinton Square, you might not have been able to tell.
SHAUN NORFOLK, COMPETIOR FOR MCKIE SPORTS: This is what we kind of grew up doing, so, you know, a lot of people it’s kind of crazy, to us, it’s kind of normal.
SPENCER: Shaun Norfolk has competed in the Syracuse Pond Hockey Classic since its first tournament in 2020. He represents his hockey shop, McKie Sports. And after growing up in Syracuse, playing against familiar faces gets competitive.
NORFOLK: It got a little chippy out there, and, you know, shake hands after and have a few pops.
SPENCER: But’s not the competition that brings Norfolk or even the fans back here each year. It’s the message that showing up here sends.
TIM O’DONNELL, TOURNAMENT FOUNDER & DIRECTOR: It just shows the resiliency and the interest in the community that we have here.
SPENCER: Tim O’Donnell is the founder and director of the tournament.
O’DONNELL: I think there’s a real thirst for it, particularly at the end of January, people got cabin fever and want to get out, and I think this is a great reason to do it.
SPENCER: Seeing this community come together, despite the frigid temperatures, makes him proud of the city he was born and raised in.
O’DONNELL: You make what you can of whatever in life. You can sit around and complain about the cold, or you can say you know what, I’m going to go out and enjoy my self and the people I love.
SPENCER: And that sense of pride brings people like Norfolk back year after year.
NORFOLK: I think that shows you the type of people that are around here… It’s an honor to do it, and, plan on coming back for a lot of years.
SPENCER: In Syracuse, Spencer Buley. NCC News.