BY SCOTT HADDOW
The roars of young hockey players will deafen
local rinks this week and weekend as the 36th annual Sudbury
Silver Stick hockey tournament takes place.
The tournament features some of the best A
and AA hockey teams from across Ontario and the United
States.
Overall, 96 teams, from all over Ontario and
the United States, are registered to compete across five age
divisions.
All the action takes place at the
Countryside, McClelland, Carmichael, Garson and Walden
Arenas.
Admission to all games, including the finals,
is free. Finals take place on Sunday, Dec. 11 at the
Countryside and McClelland Arenas.
It would be a shame for local hockey nuts not
to take advantage of free, high-level hockey action.
"People attending these games are going
to see very competitive minor hockey at its best," said
Art Connor, regional chairman. "It's a well respected
tournament because this is our 36th year, so we must be doing
something right."
Money raised at the event goes back to help
the kids in local minor hockey.
"It's all about the kids," said
Connor. "It's a highly competitive tournament, but
they have a lot of fun. Any money raised goes back to our
sponsorship of the Sudbury Minor Hockey Association to help out
all the kids in that organization."
Over the years, many future NHL and
professional players have locked horns in the Sudbury Silver
Stick and other regional Silver Stick tournaments across North
America.
"Randy Carlyle and Mike Foligno played
in the Silver Stick," said Connor. "It illustrates to
young kids that some of their heroes and superstars have gone
through the same steps they will get to do at the
tournament."
The Sudbury Silver stick is a qualifying
tournament, meaning winners move onto the North American
finals.
Besides getting the prestige of representing
their own region at an international championship, players get
great exposure, among other benefits.
"One, the local kids all get to play in
a big tournament at home just before Christmas," said
tournament director Peter Michelutti. "The winning teams,
from 16 different divisions, gets to go to the North American
finals...And there's a lot of hockey scouts at those
games."
Last year, the Sudbury Titans won the Sudbury
portion and then the North American finals.
The tournament would be where it is if it
wasn't for the tireless efforts of the volunteers.
"The volunteers have always stepped
up," said Michelutti. We've kept expanding over the
years. The volunteers have built this tournament. If it
wasn't for them, we would be where we are. We have to give
them a pat on the back."
All the action starts on Thursday at the
local rinks. All Sudbury teams are in action at the Countryside
Arena, starting at 5 pm.
Complete schedules and scores and other
information can be found at
www.sudburysilverstick.com
.
