Friday — April 23, 2004

Sleepless in Sun Valley

100 hour hockey game comes to Sun Valley

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"we gonna have to…go without sleep for awhile."

— Cory Lovoi of Sun Valley Skating Center

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For those saddened by the inevitable warming of spring, the Red Hot Hockey Inferno is coming to Sun Valley and brining with it the joys of a freezing game of pond hockey.

Originally scheduled for Boise, that city relinquished their hosting rights this year and the "100 Hour Hockey Game" will be coming to Sun Valley June 16-20.

Cory Lovoi of the Sun Valley skating center thinks his staff should be able to cover the event. "We’re gonna have to buck up a bit and go without sleep for a little while," he says nonchalantly. "People are excited about this, though," says Lovoi. "It’s something they’ve never heard about – to play a hockey game at 2 or 3 in the morning."

Based in Albuquerque, NM, the Red Hot Hockey Inferno travels the country, bringing their 100 hour pond hockey game to over a dozen American cities throughout the spring and summer.

The premise of the game is good old-fashioned pond hockey. The rules, what precious few there are, are meant to keep things friendly and peaceful "for the love of the game." No body checking, no slap shots and no scoring during the marathon event. Teams of 128 players are divided into teams and then scheduled for play round the clock for 100 hours or 4 days.

The middle-of-the-night play should be nothing new to many hockey players, accustomed to playing with whatever ice time is available. In Sun Valley, men’s league players are used to 10 p.m. practices.

Skaters of all abilities and all ages are welcome.

Registration for the 100 Hour Hockey Game can be done online at www.100hourhockey.com. For more information call 1-877-PONDHKY (1-877-766-3459).

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.