Welcome

Welcome 

WELCOME to the Seventh Washington, D.C. Silver Summit Senior Hockey Classic for teams whose players are 50 and older* (40 and older for women, 40 and up for goalies).

This competition launched in 2018 as an offshoot of the Geri-Hatricks Senior Hockey Tournament which discontinued its 50-and-older division. As such, our competition resembles that tournament in some ways … while being completely different in other ways.

In 2018, 10 teams completed in two separate divisions, one Gold and one Silver.  SNVC Laurel defeated Fat, Old & Slow, 6-5 in OT, to win the Gold Division while the Old Fat Bald Guys topped the G-Men in their title game, 5-0, to win the Silver title.   In 2019, 10 teams also competed with SNVC Laurel repeating at Gold, this time topping Fat, Old & Slow 5-4 while the Englewood Jacks beat the Virginia Rusty Blades 5-0 in the Silver Finale.

After COVID forced cancellation of the 2020 tournament, we managed to pull together eight teams for a single division mid-June event in 2021 in which the Englewood Jacks bested the Old Fat Bald Guys, 4-3, on a goal with 1:21 to play.

In 2022, we had enough interest to field three divisions - Gold, Silver & Bronze.  The tournament was incredibly competitive as 10 of the 12 competing teams went either 2-1 or 1-2 during pool play.  The Englewood Jacks entered two teams at the Gold and Silver level and won both championships with one-goal victories over SNVC Laurel and the Old Fat Bald Guys while my Virginia Bucs team took the Bronze title over the Wiseguys.

In 2023, we had 12 interested teams and split the competition into four three-team divisions, with each team playing a single game against an opponent from a division either immediately above or below their designated placement.  The result was another highly competitive tournament with several extremely close games, which saw the Englewood Jacks reach the finals of all three of their divisions while crowning the Elder Skatesmen, Whalers, Lancaster Wizards and Discount Maroons as champions.

Last year, 12 teams again competed in four divisions which the Englewood Jacks dominated with their three entered teams, posting 3-0 records in the Gold, Silver A and Bronze Division, capturing the titles in two of the three.  SNVC won the Gold Division Championship over the Jacks while my Bucs team took the Silver B crown with a win over the Discount Maroons.

As for what’s in store for 2025?  Well, with my (semi-) retirement and move to Denver, the tournament is now being administered by Rick Gravel, proprietor of the Frozen Biscuit Hockey Tournament Series (https://www.frozenbiscuit.net/). 

While the 2025 event will be a year of transition, Rick will ultimately put his own distinctive stamp on this tournament.  As for me, I plan on returning to play with the Bucs yet again ... and look forward to seeing all of you.

General Information 

This page shall serve as a general informational overview, with playing rules documented elsewhere.

In the Gold/Elite, Silver/Upper Rec. and Bronzze/Lower Rec. divisions, these designations are based on prior year breakdowns. We will do our absolute best to ensure the competition is equitable among both divisions, although we may ask a team to “play up or down” if a certain bracket needs an additional team.

Format – The format is designed for three preliminary round games with a fourth championship game in each bracket for the top two teams emerging from the preliminary round. 

Registration – Each team must register with 10 players minimum plus a goalie for a fee of $1,650. More detail is provided in the Team Fee tab. 

Age and Player Qualification – The YEAR of birth will be the determining factor, so any player who turns (or will turn) 50 during 2022 is eligible (so they must have been born in 1975 or earlier). All participants shall be required to have proof of age in the form of a photo ID such as a driver’s license or embossed birth certificate, etc. at the time of registration. 

Women must be at least 40 years of age and goalies must be at least 40 years old by Dec. 31, 2024. Goalie replacement due to emergency must be authorized by the Tournament Directors. 

*Two underage male players will be permitted per team, with a minimum age of 45.  Teams must designate their two underage players, and any such players who have played either professionally (at any level) or NCAA Division I hockey are not eligible for this designation.   The same birthdate designations apply to these underage players.

Preliminary Game Schedule – The tournament will start on Friday, March 21st at the Rockville Ice Arena in Rockville, Maryland. All teams should be prepared to start games by 3:00 PM on Friday. The three-game series to determine the two Finalists in each bracket will end on Saturday, March 22. Championship playoffs will be held on the morning of Sunday, March 23rd.  Depending on the number of teams, the tournament may opt to expand the schedule to include semifinal games on Sunday.  All teams shall be informed of any such changes well in advance of the tournament. 

Venue - All games will take place at the Rockville Ice Arena at 50 Southlawn Court, Rockville, MD.  The rink phone number is 301-315-5650 and the rink web site is: www.rockvilleicearena.com. The rink has a fully stocked pro shop and a full service restaurant. 

Games – The games will consist of three 15-minute stopped-time periods. There will be one-minute breaks between periods and three-minute warm-ups.  Resurfacing machines will clean ice between games. Generally, USA Hockey rules shall apply. Certified referees will officiate. The off-ice official present in the rink will arbitrate disputes during the game. The Tournament shall provide warmup pucks, but teams are encouraged to bring their own water bottles.

Jerseys – Teams must designate their jersey colors in an effort to avoid conflicts and it is encouraged that teams have two sets for that reason. The tournament shall make every effort to have a set of spare black jerseys available if needed due to potential conflicts.

Lodging – See the Host Hotel Tab Above

Team Applications – Applications shall be submitted through the document found on the Forms page of this website. Rosters cannot exceed 18 skaters plus two goalies. 

Team Rosters –  Under the Forms Tab of this website you will also find a roster sheet.  Please submit your rosters via email to biscuitbashhockey@gmail.com by March 7, 2025.  These will be your preliminary rosters which will allow us to produce a small tournament program and pre-print tournament scoresheets. Changes are permitted any time up to and during the tournament, provided any new players meet the age eligibility criteria; however, all players who participate in the Tournament Championship game must have played in one of the preliminary round games. We will check rosters to ensure a player has not been “picked-up” from another team for a Championship game.

Friday Night Pizza and Beer – In maintaining the wonderful tradition of Friday night pizza and beer, the Tournament has followed suit. Teams will be encouraged to stick around after their Friday night games to mix, mingle and indulge. 

Disclaimer – Every effort will be made to provide competition that creates parity within both divisions. If the teams that are finally accepted do not match evenly, the tournament Committee may exercise a prerogative to make adjustments in team competition to provide for evenly matched competition. 

Thank you for your involvement and participation. We look forward to another great event.

-- Steve Winter