Hockey players with ties to the Stevens Point community and their families
gathered at Ice Hawks Arena for the fourth annual Mosey-Leppen Classic Thursday
through Saturday, April 28-30.

Former area youth, high school and University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) players competed in the 12-team tournament,
which consisted of 18 games over three days and raised money for the Stevens
Point Area Youth Hockey Association.

“Everybody’s played together as a youth, through high school
and some collegiately,” said Pat Mosey. “And then when life takes you on a
whole different path all over the world, it’s a one-time-a-year thing where
everybody comes back.

“And it’s not just the players,” he said. “It’s the players’
wives or girlfriends, and it’s the players’ parents that get to meet other moms
and dads and everyone else that they knew when they were bringing the kids up
through hockey.”

“It’s bringing the hockey families back and having a great
time,” said Wally Leppen. “All the money we raise here goes back into the
programs for the youth that are coming up, and that’s what it’s all about.”

The tournament was started in 2013 and named in honor of
Mosey and Leppen, who both have run hockey leagues and served as coaches,
referees and board members in the Stevens
Point area for decades.

“The first year when we started this, everybody said, ‘you
guys are nuts, you’re not going to get anybody to play,’” said Leppen. “And the
first year we had eight teams, I think we had 12 or 11 people on a team.

“And the word has spread,” he said.

This year the tournament was expanded from 10 teams to a
total of 12, with 16 or 17 players on each team.

Family members were able to play together on the same team,
while team representatives gathered before the tournament and drafted players
and goalies to make sure that the teams were as equal as possible.

“Every year, all the teams are mixed up,” said Mosey. “You
don’t play with a lot of the same players from year to year, so you get to know
other people and you build a lot of bonds.”

Local businesses sponsored each of the 12 teams, while
participants are either from the Stevens
Point area, a current resident, played at UWSP, or are
a guest of an invited player.

“Guys come back from all over,” said Kraig Brooks, one of
the creators and organizers of the event. “We have one from South Dakota, (former SPASH and UWSP goalie)
Ryan Scott came out of Texas
for the tournament, and we’ve got guys from throughout the state.

“Local guys who now don’t live in town, but will come back
for it,” he said.

Belts’ Soft Serve supplied ice for the weekend, McCain’s and
Cozy Kitchen provided food, Spectra Print helped with banners, DigiCOPY printed
programs, Chet Biadasz donated items and General Beer also helped out, while a
number of people volunteered at the tournament throughout the weekend.

“It’s more than an event, it’s a production, and it takes
all kinds of really dedicated volunteers,” said Brooks. “Jim Haluska does the
food all weekend, he’s awesome and without him we wouldn’t have everyone all
fed.

“Wally takes care of the referees, Mosey takes care of the
entertainment and the announcing, I take care of the teams and the players and
registration, my wife collects registration and my son helps out,” Brooks said.
“And if we need help, somebody steps in and does it.”

The tournament started with three games Thursday night,
while the Friday games went from the opener at 11 a.m. to the final game of the day at 9:40 p.m., and resumed at 10 a.m. Saturday with the first of six games.

A shootout was also held Saturday night, with the Oscar E.
Hopp award given to the top shooter, and the NCAA Division III 2016 National
Championship UWSP men’s hockey team was also honored.

The Top Glove award was given to the top goalie in the
tournament, while the winner of the tournament received the Sir Hammsson Cup,
as Fiternal CrossFit beat Kim’s Barrel Inn 2-1 in the Championship Game
Saturday night.

“The games have all been close and competitive, and
everybody’s having fun,” said Brooks.

Members of the Point-Rapids Red Panthers girls hockey team
and the UWSP men’s hockey team also worked at the event over the weekend to
help raise funds for their programs, while proceeds from the tournament will go
to support youth hockey in Stevens Point.

“We do get a lot of help and support from community
organizations like the Red Panthers and the Pointer men’s hockey team,” said
Mosey. “(UWSP) assistant coach Tyler Krueger is from Stevens Point, and both he
and the head coach (Chris Brooks) have played in this tournament, and they
really want their players to get involved in things like this, community-wise.”

“The Pointer men, the National Champs, came and helped us a
lot this year,” said Kraig Brooks.

Following the championship game, the weekend ended Saturday
night with a party for all of the players and families,
which featured a performance by the band Rock Soup.

“We call it a celebration of Stevens Point hockey, and that’s what it is,”
said Kraig Brooks. “But my favorite part is when people come up and thank you for
having a reunion of hockey.

“Through the whole weekend I’ve had so many people come up
and talk to me and said how great it is, and how it’s been so long since
they’ve watched their kid play,” he said. “One lady said it’s been 15 years
since she’s seen her kids play, they came back (from the Upper
Peninsula) and they watched them. It’s that kind of stuff.”

“All these guys coming back are great, and they’re friendly
rivalries,” said Leppen. “I can’t thank everybody enough that comes here and
plays or supports this or comes and watches.

“And the big part about it is just that we want to do this
for the kids,” he said. “Because there’s some parents that probably can’t
afford to put their kids in one of the greatest sports in the world, ice
hockey, and we can help do that by keeping their costs down. And that’s what
makes me proud.”