TRURO, N.S. – This summer player will hit the pavement for competition as a new street hockey tournament kicks off in Truro.
The Hubtown Street Hockey Tournament is a two-day, co-ed event designed to fill a void left by the departure of other tournament.
“They used to hold ‘Play On!’ in Halifax, but it folded this year and is no longer being held,” said Krista McNeil-O’Dwyer, co-executive director of the tournament.
“So we thought bringing something to Truro that would get people from the surrounding areas to come here and support our local scene would be great. We reached out to the town, which was very support of the idea and offered us the Colchester Legion Stadium parking lot for the tournament.”
The tournament is open to players age seven to 17 and teams will compete in five divisions, from novice to midget.
“The games will also be broken up into two conferences per division,” said McNeil-O’Dwyer.
“The top two teams out of each division will go on to play for the final. Each team is guaranteed to play at least four games, and if you’re in the top, you could potentially play five.”
Teams consist of seven to 10 players, and registration is $575 for any division. Included with registration are a bag, water bottle and tournament shirt for each team member.
“All of the proceeds will be going to the Kids Help Phone, and we will have a representative from there at the tournament,” said McNeil-O’Dwyer.
“We are also holding a 50/50 draw during the tournament, which will create funds to go towards our local We Care About Cancer Fund.”
Gold and silver medals will be awarded, and prizes will be available from tournaments sponsors, such as Boston Pizza.
McNeil-O’Dwyer and Laurie Burcham, co-executive director of the tournament, came up with the tournament idea when they noticed the lack of street hockey programs or games in the area.
“Street Hockey is very popular here, and after only three days of registration being open, we already have 20 teams,” said McNeil-O’Dwyer.
“Lots of Truro and area teams have gone to ‘Play On!’ in Halifax for years, but when we were told it folded, we were disappointed at first. Then we thought, ‘Hey, let’s try to get a tournament in Truro.’”
The Hubtown Street Hockey Tournament will run on Saturday and Sunday, June 16-17, and teams can register by e-mailing [email protected].
