Lemont Table Hockey League





A winner indeed. Jim Rzonca raises the arm of Garry "Da Bomber" Butler, who made a surprise visit to the LTHL, less than two weeks after undergoing surgery for kidney cancer.


  • Garry Butler's recovery journal (includes photos): Click here


    2005 Stiga U.S. Open

    The 4th annual Stiga U.S. Open will be held on Saturday, July 30, 2005 at the Lithuanian Center in Lemont. More details will be posted about registration in the coming months. If you've come out in the past, we'd love to have you back. If you're interesting in coming for the first time, we guarantee you'll have a great time.

    2005 Stiga U.S. Open Message Board (requires you to join the group)

    Register here for 2005 Stiga U.S. Open

    2005 Summer League Information


  • UPDATE: We'll be playing a few dates this summer at Jim Rzonca's and possibly a few dates at Gerald Pytlewski's house, both in Lemont. More information will be posted and e-mailed as I get it, but here's the first date:

    July 23: 7 p.m. at Jim Rzonca's.



    Rob Chargo wins LTHL 2004-05 Winter League


    Congrats to Rob Chargo, the 2004-05 LTHL champion. He emerged victorious from a one-night playoff May 14.

    Overall standings
    Week 1 results
    Week 2 results
    Week 3 results
    Week 4 results
    Week 5 results
    Week 6 results
    Week 7 results
    Week 8 results
    Week 9 results
    Week 10 results
    Playoff results

    LTHL On the Road



    Jeff Thill took second in the B Group in Boston.



    Rich Thill took second in the D Group in Boston.

    Seven LTHL'ers hit the road the first weekend of April to take part in the F1 Boston Challenge. Jeff Thill focused himself and made it all the way to the finals of the B group, taking Colorado's Graham Barber to five games before ending in up in second place. His father, Rich Thill, took second in the D group, dropping the deciding Game 5 in his series. Top players Rob Chargo and Ron Marsik made the A group in what was an incredibly tough field. Jim Rzonca ended up in fourth in the B group, defeating Eric Krol in Game 5 of their Best of 5 series in the quarterfinals. Gerald Pytlewski also had a great time, moving a notch this year to play in the C group.

    Boston photo gallery

  • U.S. vs. Canada: Friday night in Boston featured Team USA vs. Team Canada. The LTHL made up nearly half of the USA squad as Rob Chargo, Ron Marsik, Jim Rzonca and Jeff Thill suited up for their country. After a round robin to determine seeding, playoff series were held and Marsik and Rzonca won their series to earn points for the USA, and the competition stood tied at 4-4 headed into the final series. Chargo, the second seed, ended up playing talented Canadian Bernie Kunzler. The two were deadlocked in OT in the deciding game when Chargo found the net to win one for Team USA.





    Photos courtesy John Schenk

    Joe Salazar and Eric Krol headed to Philly the weekend of Feb. 12 to play in the Stiga Liberty Classic. The tournament attracted 44 players from North America. Both of our guys headed to Philly despite fighting off sickness. Salazar made the A group as the wild-card 16th seed and acquitted himself well, scoring some upsets along the way. Krol was in a tough pool the initial round robin and made the B group, finishing 7th in the round robin and getting knocked out in the quarterfinals by eventual B group winner Calvin Rollins of Groveland, MA. Congrats to Kenny Dubois of the Boston area. He defeated Kitchener, Ontario's Bruce Turner 4-2 in the finals.

    LTHL in Louisville for Canadian Charity


    Jim's Louisville trip

    Rob Chargo wins 2004 LTHL Championship





    Rob Chargo gets his medal and trophy for winning the 2004 LTHL championship. Congrats to Rob!



    Chargo and his hardware, including the U.S. Open trophy.


    Championship tournament results




    Table Hockey Tournament Announcement

    Congrats to Rob Chargo of Gurnee, IL, the 2004 LTHL Stiga U.S. Open winner. Rob defeated defending champion Ken Dubois of Millbury, MA in the finals 4 games to 2 to win $500 first prize.

    The LTHL's own Jeff Thill of South Holland, IL won the B group, defeating Ivan Sanislo of the Detroit area in the finals. Jeff's dad, Rich Thill, won the C group finals over Lemont's own Kevin Parker.



    And here are the Thills, Jeff (left) and Rich.

    Thanks to everyone who traveled from out of state to our tournament. You were the guys who made it happen and we appreciate your presence very much.


    The 2004 Lemont Table Hockey League Stiga U.S. Open will be held on Saturday, Aug. 21 at the Lithuanian World Center in Lemont, Illinois, about a half-hour southwest of Chicago. Top players from the U.S. and Canada are expected to attend, and players from around the world are invited. Registration will begin May 1, and you can click below for more details.

    2004 Stiga U.S. Open home page

    2004 Summer League News

  • The LTHL 2004 season is less formal, with tournaments taking place about once a month as Gerald Pytlewski is able to host them at his house. We've been playing either Stiga or Coleco or other games pretty much non-stop since April 2002. Be sure to check this web site for schedule updates and I'll be sure to send out e-mails to the list of players I've compiled over the years letting you know when each Stiga night will take place.

  • The regular season is over. We'll have a special one night tournament and playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 6 at Gerald Pytlewski's home in Lemont starting at 5 p.m. There will be plenty of food and drink and the format is still being worked out. We'll have at the very least, one round robin and playoff rounds. -mail me at [email protected] if you have questions or would like to RSVP.


    Summer session 2004 Overall Standings
    Summer session Week 1 results
    Summer session Week 2 results
    Summer session Week 3 results
    Summer session Week 4 results
    Summer session Week 5 results
    Summer session Week 6 results
    Summer session Week 7 results
    Summer session Week 8 results
    Championship tournament results

    LTHL 2004 Winter Sessions



    Getting better with age? Jim Rzonca and Rob Chargo show off their new table hockey accessory. (Photo by Eric Krol)

    2004 Winter Session Standings

    Photo Gallery


    2003 Season News

  • The regular season ended Saturday, Nov. 1 with the LTHL playoffs. Congrats to Ron Marsik for successfully defending his title. He won three playoff series to become the 2003 LTHL Champion. To see playoff results, go here: 2003 Playoffs

    2003 regular season results

    2003 Pre-season results

    2003 Stiga U.S. Open

    The Jerry Pytlewski Big 55 Stiga U.S. Open was held on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2003 and it was a huge success. Thanks to everyone who came out from the Boston area, California, Colorado and Canada. You made this a special event. Kenny Dubois won the A Division honors, going undefeated at 30-0 in the round robins and 15-0 in the playoffs to amass a whopping 45-0 mark.

    Tournament group photo, home page: Click here

    Pool A, Pool B, Elite, Players Division round robin results: Click here

    Playoff Results: Click here

    Newspaper coverage: Click here

    Other News

  • Jim Rzonca and Jerry Pytlewski made the Lemont Sun newspaper: Sun story

  • Photos of the BOS Lemont Fellowship Tournament

  • More photos of the BOS Lemont Fellowship Tournament

  • The LTHL's Jim Rzonca and Jerry Pytlewski are going to the national Bud Light Bubble Boys finals in Anaheim. The two won the Chicago tournament and will go for it all on Sunday, June 1. The duo also will get to stick around in California and watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Good luck guys, we're all pulling for you.

    A look at the trip to Anaheim

  • The Northwest Times of Indiana did a story on Chicago-area table hockey including the LTHL: NW Times story

    Design a Logo Contest



    Jim Rzonca and Commissioner Pytlewski sponsored a logo contest. The winner is posted up above. It was submitted by Wally Jabs, who wins $50. Runner-up was Willie Sundwall, whose Native American-inspired logo hasn't been posted due to technical difficulties. Claire Rzonca gets a special mention for her entry. Thanks to everyone who entered.


    To see the logo entries: Click here

    League History

    The story so far: The Lemont Table Hockey League was started in May 2002 by Gerald and Scott Pytlewski of Lemont, IL, a southwest suburb of Chicago. Father and son had been playing Stiga together for more than a decade off-and-on in their family room. After hooking up with fellow Lemontster Jim Rzonca, a now-seasoned Chicago Table Hockey League player, in late 2001, the Pytlewskis decided to put on tournaments in spring and summer 2002. Jerry's motto: if you build it, they will come. And they did. The league was born, attracting more and more players every week. A tournament scoring system was devised to ensure that folks who don't make every week still have a shot at competing (see below).

    So, on most Saturday nights from May through October, you can find 8 to 15 guys out in the Pytlewski's garage and backyard playing on four Stiga games complete with overhead lights and a clock. The five-minute games, played under Stiga rules with all-lefty international players, move quickly, with a referee ready to drop the puck once a goal is scored or the puck flies off the game. Everyone is welcome, and the more guys the better. Any out-of-towner is welcome to come out. No one will be turned away. What's unique about this league is that we play during the summer, when most have hung up their table hockey spurs 'til colder weather.

    Contact information

    President: Jim Rzonca
    Contact phone: 630-257-8171
    Contact e-mail: Jim at [email protected]

    2002 Season Tournament Results

    Click here: 2002 season main page
    Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

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