From CBC News

The World Pond Hockey Championship is underway in Plaster Rock, N.B., this weekend, with teams competing from around the world.

The event, in its 17th year, began on Thursday and continues until Sunday on Roulston Lake. Play takes place on 20 rinks, with 40 teams playing simultaneously.

There are 110 teams consisting mainly of men’s teams and some mixed teams, and 12 women’s teams.

The teams have come from every Canadian province and the Yukon, 15 U.S. states, and there are five European teams and a team from the Cayman Islands, said organizer Danny Braun.

This year’s weather has made things interesting in getting the rinks prepared, but it’s come together in the last few days to have good ice conditions, Braun told CBC’s Shift New Brunswick on Wednesday.

“Mother Nature has been a little bit hard on us … but everything’s in good shape now and there’s lots of ice, we’ve probably got 18-20 inches of ice on the lake,” he said. “We can deal with snow, that’s easy, but rain causes a little more grief sometimes.”

The annual event, which started in 2002, is volunteer-run and has gotten many in the community involved in organizing it.

“It’s really brought the community together,” said Braun, adding there are nine committees of volunteers who provide their expertise and resources to bring the event to life.

The full tournament schedule can be found

IMAGE: The World Pond Hockey Championship in Plaster Rock, N.B., attracts teams predominantly from North America, but also some from around the world. (Allison Devereaux/CBC)

For more on this story go to: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/plaster-rock-pond-hockey-world-championship-2018-1.4529999