A couple from Fort Saskatchewan has taken the pursuit of a good old-fashioned outdoor hockey game to their own backyards, and next weekend, they’ll open the gates for a tournament raising money for sick kids. Brianna Mattern first asked her husband Josh to consider a pond rink in their backyard when they were three months pregnant with their eldest daughter, Berkeley. “(We were) raised through hockey since we could walk and we wanted to carry on that tradition to our family,” Josh said on Saturday. What started as a flattened section of their home’s backyard quickly became a popular neighbourhood attraction when Josh installed posts and boards to sell the experience. Now affectionately dubbed the Ankle Benders Arena, Brianna said the whole endeavour has been a lot of work, but “so rewarding.” “We have a nice subdivision here with lots of young families, and we figured a rink would get lots of use and it sure has,” Josh added. “Seems like every day we come home and somebody’s on the rink.” Next weekend, the Matterns will host a tournament close to their hearts: the Galloway Classic, a hockey fundraiser with all proceeds going to the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Berkeley was born a breech baby, the parents explained, and was supported by the hospital while they navigated her hip dysplasia. “We have lots of friends and family who have needed the Stollery for various reasons … it’s just a full circle moment, being able to give back because they helped us so much,” Brianna said. The Galloway Classic is a 3-on-3, 12-team tournament, with funds raised through team registration, raffles, merchandise and concession sales all going toward the Stollery. It’s the third-annual tournament the rink has seen. The two-day event, which Brianna has taken charge of organizing, begins Feb. 6. It has raised $5,100 of its $10,000 goal so far. “It makes me feel grateful that we live in a community that’s so supportive,” Josh said. “It just seems like every year it’s just getting bigger and bigger and more support from local companies and the community.” The Matterns have, of course, considered the pressure a 12-team tournament would put on the rink, and have prepared by buying a zamboni from a Kijiji seller in Calgary. And although the project has been years in the making, it isn’t over yet, with the couple now eyeing a scoreboard for the rink. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Connor Hogg
