In May of 2022, Ice Wars held their inaugural event in Edmonton, that August they held Ice Wars 2 in the same venue. Both events were a resounding success. Ice Wars 3 moved south to Cheyenne, WY and the Outlaw Saloon. If you’re new to Ice Wars, it’s hockey fights, without the hockey. The event was sanctioned by the Wyoming Combat Sports Commission with rules to protect the fighters. They wear MMA style gloves and fights are paused when their helmets fall off. It is held in what they have named the “Ice Box” on synthetic ice. Fights are 2, 1 minute rounds. If they are tied after 2 rounds, they go to a 30 second “Ice Breaker” round.
With their third event coming to the US, they brought in some true legends, including legendary Colorado Avalanche enforcer and Stanley Cup Champion Scott Parker, who thinks it’s something he would have done during his playing days.
“If it didn’t violate my contract in the NHL I would have loved to do something like this.” He also thinks this is an opportunity for the fighters to show the world their talents. “This is a stage to show what you do best, it’s only one part of the game, but it’s a part that fans miss these days.” Parker said. “We’re trying to put them in the limelight to show teams what they can do to protect their players. If teams in higher leagues want to watch this to pull them up, that’s what it’s all about. Just give them a showcase to show their skills to go up a level.”
The opening bout saw Ryan Devine facing off with Chris Lockhart. Devine wasted no time landing a solid shot, hitting Lockhart with a Superman Punch that opened a big gash above his left eye. The rest of round one was back and forth with each man connecting with solid shots, but Devine being the clear winner. The second round saw what might have been the craziest moment in the history of Ice Wars. Devine landed some solid shots on Lockhart, who proceeded to shove Devine into the boards, but the boards couldn’t hold the weight of the 2 gladiators and they crashed through with a loud crack, followed by roars from the crowd. The rest of the round was more of the same, with Devine being the clear winner, taking the bout by unanimous decision in what was a top contender for Fight of the Night.
Devine would move onto the semi finals to face Corey Allen, who received a first round bye due to Justin Schmit having travel issues.
The second fight of the night was arguably the most anticipated fight of the night between two giants. Zach Hughes, 6’6″, 275 pounds against Catlin Big Snake, 6’6″, 310 pounds. Long time hockey fans might recognize the name Big Snake, as Catlin is the younger brother of former minor league enforcer Robin Big Snake, just don’t call him the “little brother. 
Well, they didn’t disappoint as they went shot for shot, landing some monstrous blows. Neither man had the clear advantage, but unfortunately an equipment issue ended the fight early, when Hughes broke a skate blade and couldn’t get it repaired in time giving Big Snake the victory by TKO.
The final first round match up saw “The Hooligan” James Brooks facing Andre Thibault in what was another contender for Fight of the Night. They would go back and first for 2 rounds with no clear winner, giving fans their first “Ice Breaker” of the night. Cardio and conditioning would be the ultimate factor as Thibault was simply able to outlast Brooks, taking the split decision.
The first Grudge Match of the evening saw Cole Johnson facing Travis Cech. Another high paced fight, which came to an early end in the second round when Johnson appeared to suffer a knee injury.
The first right of the semi finals saw Corey Allen facing Ryan Devine. Unlike the slug fest in his first fight, Devine was more cautious against the bigger Allen, taking him apart and using the higher elevation to his advantage, wearing down his opponent and earning the victory by Unanimous Decision.
The second semi final bout saw Catlin Big Snake taking on Andre Thibault. In another back and forth match, each man would land solid blows for two rounds, leading to another “Ice Breaker” round. In the decisive third round, Thibault would use his quickness to avoid Big Snake, taking the bout by unanimous decision.
The Semi-Main Event followed, in a true Grudge Match between Bo Cornell and Justyce Smoke. These two men had been going back and forth for months on social media and podcast appearances throwing shots at each other, raising the anticipation and they did not disappoint. From the opening bell they were exchanging bombs, with each man knocking his opponent down multiple times. In one of the tussles during the first round, Smoke appeared to twist his knee, but he fought through the pain. The second round was a near copy of the first, with the judges announcing a third round Ice Breaker, but unfortunately, between the exhaustion and knee injury, Smoke couldn’t continue, giving Bo Cornell the TKO victory and a true Fight of the Night contender.
After the bout, it was clear they earned each other’s respect, with Cornell putting it in perspective. “When we signed this fight, we both said it doesn’t matter who wins, we want Fight of the Night,” Cornell said. “I think it’s obvious that we didn’t hold back. I don’t care who they give it to, the crowd reaction tells me this was the Fight of the Night.”
The Main Event was the finals to crown the King of the Rink between Andre Thibault and Ryan Devine. After a night of back and forth slugfests, the crowd was sent into a frenzy when 10 seconds into Round 1, Devine connected with a massive uppercut that Thibault couldn’t recover from giving Ryan Devine not only Knockout of the Night, but the King of the Rink crown and finally bringing an end to a grueling night. “I’m so happy it’s over, hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’m not going to lie. The first match was the hardest by far, (Lockhart) is a two time amateur Champion in Muay Thai and Kickboxing.” Devine said, “In the finals, I got lucky, I landed an uppercut and knocked him out.”
Devine has won 2 FPHL Commissioner’s Cups, but this is at a different level.
“Those Championships were awesome, winning with the boys, but winning on your own it hits a little different.” He said, “I have to shout out to my teammates though who let me do what I do, Knoxville, Watertown, Port Huron, Pensacola, Macon, this is for them.”
After the fight, Ice Wars Commissioner Jon Mirasty was pleased with their first venture to the US, “It was a different venue, different atmosphere, but the turnout was great and the fighters really produced and I’m happy with what they did.” He sees a bright future for Ice Wars: “The boys worked hard, the fans enjoyed it. Unfortunately fighting is kind of leaving the game, but maybe this will fire it up. We have guys wanting to join us so we just have to keep looking for quality fighters.”
Ice Wars CEO Charlie Nama was pleased with the overall outcome.
“Attendance was unbelievable for a new sport and the Pay Per View buys exceeded our expectations by far. Our sponsorship was amazing, even bringing in the US Air Force.” Nama said, “Our commissioner Jon Mirasty put the best fighters we’ve had yet together, bringing another level of excitement to our fans. The support from our Canadian fans was second to none.” Nama also said that the Wyoming Combat Sports Commission had some issues: “We brought some people to the event from the hockey world that won’t be coming back at the request of the Wyoming Combat Sports Commission which is disappointing, but overall we feel it was a huge success. In the future we will approve all of our celebrities beforehand from now on.”
While the first event might have been called a niche event, after Ice Wars 3 it’s hard not to call this event a success, Ice Wars is here to stay.
Ice Wars 4 will be returning to the Outlaw Saloon in Cheyenne on September 16th featuring Heavyweights and a Light Heavyeeight tournament
Use CodePHN15 Enjoy the September Ice Wars from a comfy Custom PHN Chair
Notes: Devine vs Lockhart was given Fight of the Night, Devine also earned KO of the Night.
With his victory, joining Daniel Amesbury and Justin Schmit, Devine now becomes the third current or former FPHL enforcer to win the crown.
PHOTO CREDIT – Diana Marion
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