Wisconsin is home to a lot of water-related sports, swimming, fishing, boating, etc.….and underwater hockey. Underwater hockey is, believe it or not, one of Door County’s most unusual and fast-growing sports.
The rules of ice and underwater hockey are somewhat similar. There are line changes, sticks, pucks, referees and penalties. However, there is no icing, no offside, no goaltender, and there is no checking, though players can be penalized for getting too rough. The penalty box is anywhere on the pool deck where the player sits in shame for 2 minutes until they can jump back into the water.
While a good pair of skates gives you the advantage on ice, for this sport, a great set of lungs is needed. The ability to hold ones breath is paramount for the sport, short bursts under the water of 6-10 seconds is most common with treading water noted as the most difficult among players.
The Door County team happened to take home 3rd place 2025 USA UWH National Championships. The Sturgeons practice and play at the Sturgeon Bay YMCA and the team practice and competition schedule can be found here. Some will also travel to Florida this week for the Great Gator Swamp Scrap Tournament in Gainesville the 25th and 26th. Sturgeon player Trisha Filar says that the team is open to newcomers of all ages, the team is coed, and all of the equipment needed is provided.
As winter settles over Door County, the players will keep diving beneath the surface, proving that in Sturgeon Bay, hockey isn’t just played on the ice anymore.
