By K.A. Pendergast
Winter wouldn’t be the same around town without our annual Hockey Days celebrations and events.
This year it was kicked off with a campaign to get everyone to wear a jersey and the North Thompson Sportsplex, naturally, sees a huge amount of action during this winter celebration.
Last Friday afternoon saw the local midget Icehawks head onto the ice with the family skating.
Jan.19 saw the start of an eight-team tournament for the novice division. Clearwater had two teams as did Kamloops and Logan Lake and the extra two spots left were taken up by Valemount and Williams Lake.
The teams had some new movable boards to separate the ice supplied by Wells Gray Community Forest granting program. These extra boards are now used with this age group to enable the players to continue on a surface more in keeping with their size.
It allowed 12 games to be played just on the Saturday alone. The sportsmanship and determination showed by the players and fans alike made the whole weekend a delight.
The teams played a full three periods of running time to take a bit over an hour per game. They played four players each side and goalies to make for some fast-paced action.
The excitement felt by the players was infectious and the fans cheered and smiled throughout the day.
There is also a colouring contest with a prize, beginning on Jan. 21, to get kids even more interested in the events. It is a picture of a Zamboni. There’s more stuff coming up, so check out the community events and North Thompson Sportsplex.