By Jim den Hollander
Editor/Publisher
Saukhockey.info
Local hockey fans will be familiar with many of the names that will hit the ice on Sunday nights at Lake Delton Ice Arena on Sunday nights starting Oct. 29.
The brainchild of Joe Leute, a local businessman who played youth hockey in Wisconsin Dells and was a member of the Wisconsin Dells High School club team (Before the team joined the WIAA) in the early 2000’s, the Bar Down Adult Hockey League will make its debut Oct. 29.
Many of the players come from a different league that played in Sauk Prairie in previous years said Leute in a recent telephone interview.
“At the end of the last year (we started looking into it). We’ve been playing in Sauk for so long, it’s a great league, but a lot of the guys wanted to play just a bit closer to home,” said Leute adding he found enough local interest to start out with a four-team loop and was also pleasantly surprised when he approached Aaron Kirby at the Lake Delton Ice Arena.
The team will play regularly on Sunday nights from the end of October until March with just a few exceptions along the way.
“We found there was enough interest to start out and form four pretty solid teams.
More than 60 players, ranging in age from recent high school graduates to players in their 50’s expressed an interest in what will be known as the Bar Down Beer League. Interested players can sign up still and the league is also putting together a list of ‘subs’ that can be called when a team is running short for a game.
The league will have a local flavor as almost all of the players are out of the Wisconsin Dells – Baraboo – Reedsburg area.
Leute found a great deal of local support, from Kirby who freed up the Sunday night ice, and a few others who have helped along the way. Gage Teteak has been looking after social media and the website for the league while Chuck Larson, Steven Mordini and Tommy Tylka have all encouraged and helped put the teams together.
Leute is hoping for local fan support with so many of the players having starred with varsity teams in Baraboo, Reedsburg and Wisconsin Dells in the past. The opening night will be a little more special with fans able to get their first glimpse of the Kilbourn Cup, the league’s championship trophy. And some festivities including singing the Canadian and American National Anthems before the opening contests.
The league is living up to its ‘Beer League’ moniker with $1 beer available for the fans as well.
Also, Leute mentioned some team sponsors have already come on board, including Cimmaroli’s which was already a sponsor for the team Leute played on in Sauk Prairie along with the Del-Bar and Waterman Log Crafters and others that may be on board by the time the league plays its openers.
Perhaps the most interesting event will be in early February when the league takes its act outdoors with a Pond Hockey event at Trappers Turn. Leute said Trappers golf pro Patrick Steffes has taken the lead on setting that event up. More on that will appear in this space over the winter months.
Sauk Hockey 