The Kitimat Ice Demons, the host team, the Prince Rupert Rampage, as well as last year’s CIHL champions, the Smithers Steelheads and the Terrace River Kings will all compete for the Ice Demons’ Northern Challenge Cup at the Jim Ciccione Civic Centre Arena in Prince Rupert this weekend.
Launched in 2003, the 10-year-old Challenge is currently in the hands of the Smithers Steelheads, who defeated the host Terrace River Kings.
The home team Prince Rupert Rampage and the Terrace River Kings will start the pre-season four game tournament at 6:30 p.m. on Friday night, September 20.
This game will be followed by Kitimat and the Steelheads at 9:30 p.m. Friday.
The losers of both games play at 5 p.m. on Saturday Sept 21 and winners at 8 p.m. with the Challenge Cup at stake.
Last season in the Challenge Cup tournament, the Kitimat Ice Demons wound up their two pre-season games with a win and a loss, while the Smithers Steelheads stayed on their winning roll taking the Challenge Cup with a third period barrage of goal production to dump Terrace, 7-2.
For the rebuilding Demons, last year’s Friday opening game saw them lose a squeaker, 6-5 to Terrace, but come back in the consolation final to beat the Prince Rupert Rampage 7-5.
– Submitted
