Fergus Falls Hosts Flow at the Falls Youth Hockey Tournament, Boosts Economy

Flow at the Falls drew teams from around the region to the Fergus Falls Community Arena for the Squirt C youth hockey tournament, held over the weekend of Feb. 20–22, 2026. The event filled the arena schedule with multiple games across age divisions and concentrated play at the Community Arena on East Lincoln Avenue, creating steady foot traffic in central Fergus Falls for three days.

Organizers scheduled a slate of games across the arena’s rinks so Squirt C teams could complete pool and bracket play within the Feb. 20–22 window. Multiple age-division matchups occurred alongside the Squirt C games, using the Community Arena’s ice times from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon and keeping referees, timers, and rink staff on duty for the full weekend.

Bringing teams from around the region translated into visible economic activity in Fergus Falls. Hotel rooms were occupied for visiting families and coaches during the Feb. 20–22 stretch, and restaurants and retailers near the arena reported higher customer volumes tied to game schedules and evening itineraries. The concentrated nature of the Flow at the Falls tournament focused spending on lodging, food, and local services within walking distance of the Community Arena.

The tournament also tested the arena’s capacity to host back-to-back youth events without disrupting weekday programming. Using the Community Arena for multiple Squirt C and other age-division games required coordination with facility staff on ice management, locker room assignments, and public-entry flow during peak periods on Saturday and Sunday. That operational load demonstrated the venue’s ability to support weekend tournaments on Feb. 20–22 while maintaining scheduled community access in the days before and after the event.

Flow at the Falls’ presence in Fergus Falls for the Feb. 20–22 weekend reinforced the Community Arena’s role as a regional hub for youth hockey in Otter Tail County. The concentrated schedule of Squirt C and accompanying age-division games highlighted local capacity to host multi-team events and provided a weekend of economic activity for downtown businesses, suggesting the arena remains a practical venue for similar regional tournaments going forward.