Copper Country Cougars’ Hanna Impola shoots against Gino’s Restaurant during the 37th annual Copper Country Old Timers hockey tournament at Dee Stadium on Saturday, March 19, 2022, in Houghton, Mich. (Eddie O’Neill/The Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — They call themselves the “298 Line.”

Why?

When Lori Jo Geshel, Jill Fallon, Joyce Rowe, Dorothy Ruohohen and Shelley Farrey skate onto the ice, their combined ages total 298 years.

That’s a lot of hockey wisdom.

These local mothers and grandmothers were all smiles and sweat as they joined more than 30 other teams for the 37th annual Copper Country Old Timers three-on-three hockey tournament this past weekend.

This was the first tournament since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the Zamboni at the Houghton County Arena cleaned the ice one last time on Sunday afternoon, Tom Pintar, the tournament’s chairman, was worn out but pleased.

“It was a great tournament,” he said. “Everything ran smoothly. The biggest comment I got was that folks were just glad to be back and playing. We are already planning for next year.”

The tournament featured 51 games involving more than 30 teams consisting of players from far and wide. Mickey Redmond, a color analyst for Detroit Red Wings broadcasts on Bally Sports Detroit, was among many participants in the weekend tournament.

But for most, it’s a chance to reconnect with friends and family.

“This is a reunion of sorts for long-time hockey families and friends,” said one of the organizers, Mark Ahlborg. “There are people who mark their calendars for a trip to the Copper Country around St. Patrick’s Day for this tournament. Everybody is happy to be back and on the ice.”

This year’s tournament featured four days of hockey that began Thursday. There were eight class divisions. They included players as young as 21 up to players ages 60-plus as well as an all-age women’s bracket.

All classes had four teams competing for first place. Teams came from as far as Milwaukee, Flint, and Cokota, Minnesota. Games took place simultaneously at Dee Stadium, Houghton County Arena, Calumet Colosseum and the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.

“We have guys here who have been playing together for 15 or 20 years,” Ahlborg said. “While they may have moved away from the area, they will often come home and hook up with old friends and get a team together for the tournament.”

The women’s tournament is a relatively new division – formed in the last five years. The teams included former players from Finlandia’s women’s hockey program, alumnae from St. Norbert’s College, a combination of Marquette players, and the Copper Country Cougars which includes the 298 Line.

“Some of us started playing as teenagers in the 1970’s with a team called the Houghton Angels,” said Farrey, who oversees organizing the tournament’s women’s division. “Others played on a team from Calumet, and there was a girls’ team from Marquette and one from Pelkie. We traveled across the UP, downstate and even into Canada for games. Ironically, our coach was (the late) Slim McLean.”

After graduating from high school and college, these ladies got married and had their own budding hockey stars to take care of. Around 12 years ago they started up a weekly Sunday rink rental exclusively for women. It’s continued since.

“We call it our Sunday fun day rental,” Farrey said. “We have about 60 women on the email list and around 15 show up each week. They range from ages 12 to 61. Out of this has come the Copper Country Cougars, and we’ve even formed teams to play in the pond hockey tournament in Eagle River, Wisconsin.”

As for their performance on Saturday, the Cougars were outmatched in an 11-1 loss against a younger and faster Gino’s Restaurant (St. Norbert alumni) team. The game included some fierce mother-daughter matchups.

“We did decent. We were playing against girls our daughters’ ages,” Fallon said. “We could have given birth to those girls, but wait we did.”

Farrey said the Old Timer’s tournament is a homecoming of sorts.

“It is good to be back. We look forward to it every year,” Farrey said. “As it brings together mothers, daughter, sisters and nieces. Everyone comes home for this one.”

Old Timers Tournament Winners

21+ Elite Class — The Red Team, Brighton

30+ Gold Class — Keweenaw Sewing, Houghton

30+ Silver Class — ST2MI, St. Louis Park, MN

30+ Bronze Class — The Better Babcock, Traverse City

40+ Classic Class — M&M Powersports – Houghton

50+ Legends Class — Suomi Restaurant, Houghton

60+ Masters Class — Remax, Ginger Stroube, Hancock

Women’s Open Class — Gino’s Restaurant, Hancock