Sixteen teams of recreational hockey players spent the weekend at Twin Arenas playing hockey with nothing but pride on the line, playing and enjoying the game of hockey and the camaraderie of others who enjoy the game.
When the final buzzer went, Team Wicked of Kamloops had edged the Quesnel Forestry Hockey League Red team 5-4 for the championship.
“It was a hard battle,” member of the Red team Will Quarry said.
A battle indeed as the Red team entered the second 25 min period down 4-1.
“We finally got our legs going,” Quarry said of the second period.
“But we came up a little short.”
Despite the intense competition evident during the tournament final, there were still plenty of determined smiles on the ice.
“It was fun, a lot of great people, great personalities,” Quarry said.
In addition to teams from the Quesnel recreational league, there were teams from Prince George and Kamloops all vying for the championship prizes – engraved coffee mugs and their names inscribed on the tournament trophy, tournament organizer and president of the Quesnel fun hockey league, Terry Kirkham said.
Of course, part of the camaraderie involves socializing well into the night telling tales of games gone by.
Empty bottles, a symptom of telling tales, were donated to the Quesnel and District Minor Hockey association.
A local ladies slo-pitch team, the Fembots, raised $1,000 by offering rides home to players who had told one tale too many.
Hockey, hockey smiles and community involvement, exactly what Kirkham had in mind.
“Have some fun, that’s what it’s all about,” he said of a tournament that has been held every year since 1980.
Mike Enemark of the FHL Red team agreed.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said.
“You get to play against a lot of good players.
“It was great hockey,” Enemark added referring to the tournament final game against Team Wicked.
“That’s what you play for, win or lose.”
