Hockey enthusiasts gather four times a week for competition, camaraderie
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Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
SYRACUSE – There’s a vast difference in age and a wide range in talent, but what the guys who meet regularly behind Sylvain Champoux’s house on Boner Lake have in common is a passion for ice hockey. Champoux, 52, is from North Bay, Ontario, but since moving to Syracuse nearly a quarter-century ago he and his friends have been playing on a makeshift rink that would rival Kevin Costner’s baseball field in the motion picture “Field Of Dreams.” There are approximately 15 regulars, and they play on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday when the ice and weather permits – and sometimes when it doesn’t, as a number of them jokingly pointed out. “We get together because we love ice hockey,” said Champoux, whose son, Kyle, is among the regulars. “We’ve been playing out here since we moved here about 25 years ago. A lot of us have played in leagues in Fort Wayne or South Bend, but here we have our own little place and we play for free.” According to Champoux, the rink, which is actually a bay on the northwest corner of the lake, is approximately 200 by 100 feet. There is a seawall along part of it, making a nice seat for players to dress and put on their gear. There are two telephone poles with stadium lights the regulars installed. Just about the only things the rink lacks is a scoreboard, a penalty box and stadium seating, though there is plenty of backyard space to watch the games from. “It’s good exercise, and it’s a great way to spend time with my buddies,” said 38-year-old Kim Nguyen, who said he’s been playing there for about 20 years. “We’ve got a good group of guys here out here. Most of them are from around Syracuse, but we’ve also got guys from Warsaw, Bristol, Kendallville and Goshen.” Among those that join the Champouxes and Nguyen on a regular basis are Scott Stewart, John Szynal, Joe Leach, Jay Kuntz, Chad Compton and Gary Gerard. After the players shovel snow off the ice if needed, they split into two teams for the games, with players seperated by light and dark-colored shirts. The first team to score five goals wins. According to both Sylvain Champoux and Nguyen, the games are competitive and often end in a 5-4 score. While the games are competitive, and both teams obviously want to win, there isn’t a problem with fighting or extremely physical play. “We’re all out here because we love hockey,” said Sylvain Champoux. “Everybody gets along pretty well, we’re not out here to fight or anything like that.” There has been the occasional injury, however, and the regulars refer to Dr. Larry Allen of the Syracuse Family Practice as the “official team doctor.” “We all love to play hockey,” said Nguyen. “That’s what this is, we all love to play hockey.”
