March 31, 2014 at 3:28 p.m.
Buzzsaw Hockey Tournament ends in shutout
Buzzsaw Hockey Tournament ends in shutout
Their opponent, a team from Madison, had other ideas though, winning 4-0.
Tom Roeser, vice president of the Blue Line Club, said his guys gave it their all but it just wasn't quite enough.
"It was a pretty tight game for the first 10 minutes," he said. "They're a pretty fast team and they skate together well. We had a lot of trouble keeping up with them, but that's the nature of the game."
Despite the loss, Roeser said the tournament was a success for all involved. Fewer teams participated this year, but it was still a productive fundraiser.
"We're down a little this year," Roeser said. "We had three fewer teams this year and didn't have the over-40 division, so we didn't make quite as much money this year. I knew we were going to have fewer teams, so I made some adjustments. For instance, we didn't sell beer at the rink this year. Usually, we lose a couple hundred dollars doing that, but we did it to accommodate the fans. We always give each team a case of beer at the end of each game, so I just bought that this year and I didn't have to worry about hiring a bartender. We made those adjustments so we saved that money this year."
There was plenty of trash talk surrounding the tournament this year. Before the championship game, Rhinelander goalie Brett Adams boasted about his undefeated over-30 game record. Although Madison would later hand him his first loss, Roeser said it made for a fun atmosphere.
"All these guys are still competitive," Roeser said. "We all still want to win. The games this morning, the fifth and third-place games, were a lot looser. If you're not playing for a championship, the guys will go out and there mess around a little and just have fun. They'll try different things. The championship game is very competitive though. Everyone wants to win. It's just like when you were a youth athlete."
The tournament is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for the Blue Line Club. All money raised is split equally between the boys' and girls' hockey programs, but Roeser said there are other benefits too.
"It brings people into the area," he said. "The hotels benefit from it. The restaurants benefit from it. The group around the hockey rink is a great group of guys and we have a lot of fun. We support the high school hockey programs, so it's a cause that's a benefit to the hockey community in Rhinelander."
Andy Hildebrand may be reached at [email protected].
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