2012 tournamentFormat: All 12 teams qualify.

First round: Best-of-three series, March 9-11 at campus sites. Seed 12 at 1, 11 at 2, 10 at 3, 9 at 4, 8 at 5, 7 at 6. Schedule/results

Championship (Final Five): At Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn. Six remaining teams reseeded based on regular-season finish. March 15: Quarterfinals, Seed 6 vs. 3, 2 or 7 p.m. CDT; Seed 5 vs. 4, 2 or 7 p.m. CDT. March 16: Semifinals — 6-3 winner vs. Seed 2, 2 or 7 p.m. CDT; 5-4 winner vs. Seed 1, 2 or 7 p.m. CDT (Minnesota would play late game if qualified). March 17: Championship game, 7 p.m. CDT. Schedule/results

First roundQuarterfinalSemifinalFinalChampionMarch 9-11March 15March 16March 17(11) Minn. State(2) Minn.-Duluth(7) Neb.-Omaha(6) St. Cloud St.(10) Wisconsin(3) Denver(9) Bemidji State(4) North Dakota(8) Mich. Tech(5) Colo. College(12) AK-Anch.(1) Minnesota
Note: Teams are reseeded after the first round.

Read more: http://www.uscho.com/wcha-playoff-central/#ixzz1oGDUOW2H

Please Connect With Us:
Website:     www.ruthockey.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ruthockey
Twitter:      @RutHockey

Happy Hockey Days!

Stick Handle through all the Holiday crowds and find a moment to go one-on-one with the people who mean so much to you...family, friends, and teammates.  May the New Year bring more goals, victories, championships....but most of all, experiences and friendships that last a lifetime.

Season Greetings from the Rut Hockey Team!

Dayton, Ohio – Texas based adult recreational hockey team Rut Hockey has been named the winner of the Dayton Gems’ first ever Beer League Night, presented by Heidelberg Distributing Company, set for Saturday, January 7 inside the historic Hara Arena. This past June, the Gems asked recreational hockey teams from around the nation to submit their team names and logo to find the most innovative beer league name and logo in North America, nd after settling on six finalists, fans expressed their opinion by casting well over 5,000 votes to name Rut Hockey the winner.

“We would like to thank all of the teams that submitted their team name & logo for this contest. We had a tremendous response from dozens of teams from across North America and we are excited to name Rut Hockey our first annual winner,” said Gems President Joe Greene.

The Gems will now wear replica jerseys of Rut Hockey’s fan-favorite design during Dayton’s regular season matchup against division rival Fort Wayne Komets on January 7. The very unique jerseys and socks feature a hunting theme complete with a woodsman camouflage pattern accented with bright orange stripes.

In addition to wearing the team’s uniform, the Gems will invite Rut Hockey’s players to the game so they can participate in a special shootout against the MegaCity Hockey Club, a recreational team in Dayton, during the first intermission.

“This is an opportunity to not only honor the beer leagues of the country, but to also raise money for a charitable organization,” added Greene. “Our players will actually be wearing replicas of the camouflaged uniforms for the game, and I know they’ll have a lot of fun with it.

Rut Hockey will be given a VIP experience with the Gems on the night of the game, complete with an opportunity to sit on the team bench for warm-ups, a tour of the Gems locker room, and a meet and greet with our players and head coach after the game.

All of the game worn Rut Hockey jerseys worn by the Dayton Gems players will then be sold in an online auction the following week on DaytonGems.com, with a portion of the proceeds going to the charity of Rut Hockey’s choice.

Short for Realizing Unlimited Potential, Rut Hockey describes themselves as a tight knit group of amateur hockey players originally from all over the country that play together to help grow the sport of hockey in their community. Based out of San Antonio, TX they play in adult tournaments throughout North America.

For the fans, January 7 will feature many special promotions to honor the adult “beer league” hockey culture, including a Gems pint glass giveaway for the first 500 fans 18 and older through the gates, as well as Hara Arena beer specials.

Despite frigid temperatures, adult hockey players take ice in Lake Placid for the Can Am pond hockey tournament. Can Am pond hockey is a relatively new tradition in Lake Placid, introduced in 2005 to coincide with the 25th Anniversary of the 1980 Winter Games. Five years later the tournament is still going strong and teams from all over the US and Canada flocked to the Adirondacks to participate in a weekend of hockey and fun in the Olympic Village. With the age categories 21+, 30+, 40+, 50+, and 60+ for men, and 21+ and 30+ for women, there was an opportunity for almost all ages to compete.

Pond hockey is a simpler variation of ice hockey. Obviously meant to be played on natural ice surfaces, pond hockey differs from traditional ice hockey. The ice dimensions are different from NHL hockey regulations, (135 feet by 65 feet compared to the NHL’s 200-by-85), there are no boards and no lines on the playing surface. While the rules might seem less-structured in a game of pond hockey, there are still limits; for example, no slap shots, abusive language, or overly aggressive physical contact.

One of the most unique challenges is weather.; when the weather is too warm, for example, skating can be dangerous on a pond, often pushing the teams onto the alternate venue. In 2008, temperatures in the 40s forced the tournament to relocate to the Olympic Oval. At the extreme opposite of the spectrum, cold weather can be difficult as well.

For more information on pond hockey in Lake Placid, visit the Can Am website at http://www.canamhockey.com/index.php.

CAN/AM Pond Hockey tournament
Texans Come to North for Frozen Fun! There was something very special about playing hockey on the frozen pond as a kid. Heading out into the cold with your skates over your shoulder, you and your hockey buddies pushing the newly fallen snow off the pond, then using your boots as goal posts and hearing the imaginary roar of the crowd as you scored the first goal.

Ryan Scott recalls this magic. And, it's what he has now recreated and shared with his Texan teammates thanks to CAN/AM's annual Pond Hockey tournament.

Scott, originally from Wisconsin, skated on frozen ponds frequently in his youth. He now lives in San Antonio, Tx., where he says there is only one rink for a population of 1.7 million people.

Scott made it his mission to get Texans to experience the grand old hockey game how it originated - outdoors. Last year, he organized his team - Rut Hockey (www.ruthockey.com) - to go to Lake Placid, NY, to experience the CAN/AM Pond Hockey tournament.

While the team did not win a single game in their inaugural tournament (their closest match was a 15-14 loss), they had a blast and are returning again this January.

"It was everyone's first experience, except for me, skating on a frozen lake," says Scott. "The resort, the accommodations and how the tournament is run is all first-class. We couldn't have asked for a better time."

This January, Chris Frieman will return for the third time to compete in the Pond Hockey tournament. A past participant on The Wackers, who hail from New Jersey, Frieman grew up playing pond hockey.

"It's a great experience," he says. "The guys I play with love it. Some of these teams make you look like you've never played hockey before. It's a different type of hockey. There are no boards, it's a lot of finesse and passing; it's extremely tiring and it's bitterly cold. I can't wait for this year's event."

Rut Hockey announces agreement with a Race Car Stock team in Stevens Point, Wisconsin to sponsor a Race Car in the 2011 Golden Sands Speedway Mods & Stocks division.  Team driver Dan Broton is excited to be representing Rut Hockey and our goal of growing Hockey in South Texas.  The Race Car will be going into the paint shop to begin the Rut Hockey logos on the hood and side panels of the car.  The Rut Hockey team has decided to gain the marketing to help grow Youth and Adult Hockey in South Texas.  We are honored to be part of sharing this experience and growing hockey in South Texas.  Stay tuned for upcoming Race events coming up. 

Rut Hockey would like to thank CAN/AM for the fantastic 2011 pond hockey tournament and all the hospitality that CAN/AM has given to make this pond hockey experience a life long memory.  Thanks again CAN/AM and we will be back next year ready to win some more games! 

Rut Hockey has unveiled there new website!  With long hours and team collaboration the website has been released and the team is excited to have a more professional and new look to the website for there customers.  Watch for new and upcoming news events!  Please be sure to visit www.ruthockey.com for all your hockey news updates!

March 29, 2011 Rut Hockey has put there minds together and designed business cards to help promote and get the name out.  These business cards were a huge hit at the local San Antonio Gun show and the requests have been coming for jerseys, t-shirts and hats. 

So keep an eye out for the new business cards!So keep an eye out for the new business cards!