September and October have never been viewed as hockey months in Tomah.

The Tomah ice arena, which opened last December, has changed all that.

For five weekends this fall, Tomah hosted the Wisconsin High School Elite League. Hosting any tournament, much less a tournament featuring some of Wisconsin’s best high school talent, would have been impossible with Tomah’s old rink.

Tomah Youth Hockey Association President Ron Malcolm said hockey fans statewide are only beginning to notice Tomah’s new facility.

“WAHA had contacted (Tomah youth hockey coach) Ian Holloway about renting ice in Eau Claire,” Malcolm said. “I mentioned Tomah’s new rink and asked them to give us a look.”

Representatives from WAHA liked what they saw, and Tomah responded by having the ice ready by Sept. 15.

“Everyone likes the rink,” Malcolm said. “It has nice lighting and nice viewing.”

The elite league has two divisions -- Under 18 and Under 16. Tomah skaters are assigned to Region 6, which includes players in an arc that includes Tomah, La Crosse, Eau Claire and New Richmond and River Falls.

Darth Denter, Alex Gerke, Jordan Maternoski and Nick Niceswanger are the Tomah High School players on the U18 team.

Matt Buswell, Luke Dannenberg, Greg Gerke, Willy Nicksic and Sean Rezin represent Tomah on the U16 team.

Nate Niceswanger, a two-year letterwinner on the Tomah High School squad, coaches the U16 team. He said mixing players from different schools is a good thing.

“You work on your basic skills -- skating, shooting, passing -- but you also build your teammate skills,” Niceswanger said. “It makes them learn to play with different people.”

Niceswanger coaches a team that had a 6-3-3 record through Oct. 14. Greg Gerke is the team’s second-leading scorer with 10 points (four goals, six assists).

The U18 team has a record of 4-7-1. Alex Gerke is the team’s leading scorer with 10 points (six goals, four assists) from his defenseman position.

Niceswanger said Tomah’s new rink is a big positive.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “Every day they have ice here, it’s more valuable to the program. It’s more exposure for our players, and people can see what a great place we have.”

Malcolm added that the early ice also gives the figure skating program an early start.

Any youngster who wants to participate in the Tomah Youth Hockey still has time to register for the 2006-07 season. Parents are encouraged to call Malcolm at 374-4421.