The 19th annual U.S. Pond Hockey Championships at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis are expected to kick off as planned in four days.

That’s the latest from tournament commissioner Jim Dahline after some concern over ice conditions for the event that brings hockey players from across the world.

In the last week-and-a-half, the lake went from largely open water to covered with ice.

The ice is not quite ready to welcome the roughly 2,500 players Dahline is expecting to play, but he was optimistic on Sunday that it will be in time for puck drop.

“So far, we’re comfortable with the short-term forecasts, and so no cancellations, or even changes away from Plan A,” he said.

Asked about the remaining potential for any alterations to the championships between Sunday and the 18th, Dahline added, “I mean, I think so. We’ve got a good base out there right now, and we’ve got four or five days of just extreme cold.”

The final call on whether any backup plans will be needed will be made the day before puck drop, he said.

“We’ve had this two probably out of the last five or six years where we’ve relied on the last week Hail Mary polar vortex, and mother nature sent one our way,” Dahline said. “We’ll see what it looks like Wednesday, but we’re pretty optimistic right now.”