As of Sunday morning, the ten best Tier 3 Bantam hockey teams in the province will be on the ice at the Smithers Civic Centre Arena for five days of hockey action, hosted by the Hoskins Ford Smithers Bantam Storm.
Organizers are hoping to pack the arena to the rafters on Sunday night at 7:30 p.m., for the official opening ceremonies, followed by a Storm game against the Quesnel Thunder. With free admission to games all week, there’s no excuse for missing the chance to support Smithers’ future hockey stars.
Storm coach Bobby Love said he’s looking forward to the action, and is hoping that after an injury-plagued season, Smithers will be starting with a full lineup.
“I think if we have our full roster, we can compete with, if not beat, most of the teams coming to town,” he said.
Although the boys will be playing to win, Love said there are many benefits to the players to hosting the tournament in Smithers.
“First and foremost is the experience of playing in a top notch tournament, where all the teams have earned the right to be there,” he said. “Being able to represent the community in hosting this is another big plus.”
The tournament is running from Sunday to Thursday. Teams will play four games each, followed by playoffs.
The schedule starts Sunday at 7 a.m. with Whistler and Whitehorse. At 9:30 a.m., Smithers will play Nelson. Revelstoke will meet TriPort at noon, with Ridge Meadows and Dawson Creek following at 2:30. Whitehorse and Terrace hit the ice at 5 p.m., with opening ceremonies at 7:30, and Smithers facing Quesnel immediately afterwards.
Monday morning starts at 8 a.m. with Dawson Creek and Nelson. At 10:30, Revelstoke faces Whistler, followed by TriPort and Terrace at 1 p.m. At 3:30, Ridge Meadows plays Quesnel, then Whitehorse faces Revelstoke. Smithers hosts Dawson Creek at 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday morning will see Whistler and TriPort meeting at 8 a.m., followed by Nelson and Ridge Meadows at 10:30. Terrace and Revelstoke play at 1 p.m., then Dawson Creek and Quesnel at 3:30. TriPort will play Whitehorse at 6 p.m., then Smithers hosts Ridge Meadows at 8:30.
Wednesday morning begins with Quesnel and Nelson at 8 a.m., then Terrace and Whistler at 11. Playoffs begin at 5 p.m., with the first place A Division team playing second place B Division. At 8 p.m., B Division’s first place team will play second place A Division.
Thursday morning is what the whole weekend boils down to, with the two losers of the previous evening’s games playing for third place at 8 a.m., followed by the championship final at 11 a.m. A more detailed schedule, as well as team rosters and other information will be available in the official Programs, available for $5 at the arena, as well as at Oscar’s Sports and OK Tire in the days leading up to the tournament. If there are still raffle tickets available for the Sidney Crosby and signed Dan Hamhuis jerseys, they will be available at the arena during the games, along with plenty of tournament souvenirs.
Love mentioned that the team knows how hard all the volunteers involved with the tournament have been and will be working.
“Without you we couldn’t have hosted this tournament,” he said. “We’ll try to make you proud.”
