Boosters Billiards tourney

You often hear hockey players are great golfers - well it turns out they're not bad pool players, either.

The Ice Bears booster club began hosting a billiards night for the players last season - turnout was so good, it's become an annual event.

On Monday night at the "Rack and Run" pool hall in west Knoxville, Ice Bears players matched up with booster club members for a tournament.

Ice Bears forward Chris Rebernik said "It's good just to get all the guys together and to hang out with the boosters, and help them fundraise and stuff like that, play some pool, it's always fun to get together after hours."

Kevin Swider, Ice Bears captain thought it was good for the boosters to "get a chance for them to meet the young guys, and kind of see what they're watching on the ice, meet them off the ice."

JJ Wrobel, Ice Bears forward said "this is kind of a game where most of the guys have played at some point in their lives, some are better than others, it's a social activity."

This year, tournament entries had to be cut-off, once the event sold out. Tennessee Overton, one of the Ice Bears booster enjoys the event because he gets "to have fun with the hockey players, to get to see the guys away from the rink, really see how they are, enjoy their company."

Ice Bears forward Derek Pallardy said "it's fun to cut loose a little bit with them, to shoot some pool, have some fun." One fan had a good time, even if his pool skills weren't so hot. Tom Ford said "I had one game and I knocked the 8 ball in on my first shot, so I'm getting ready to play my second game - hopefully I'll keep the 8 ball up there until later."

The Ice Bears booster club hosts a number of events each season with the players - coming up is a bowling night in January and a karaoke night in February.

So if you're not already a booster club member, get signed-up!