More teams to participate in Native Hockey Tournament

With five divisions in total and more than forty teams competing, the 31st Annual Native Hockey Tournament will feature enough games to satisfy the most diehard of fans.

With five divisions in total and more than forty teams competing, the 31st Annual Native Hockey Tournament will feature enough games to satisfy the most diehard of fans.

The tournament will be held from March 28-30 and games will be played at the Takhini Arena as well as the two arenas at the Canada Games Centre.

“It’s about people getting together, seeing old friends and old teammates playing together,“ said Sandi Gleason, an Ad-hoc board member.

“It is a real community event and it is like spring time gathering for us.“

The Yukon Indian Hockey Association (YIHA) is in charge of putting on the Native Hockey Tournament. Planning for the event began on Oct. 31 with the annual general meeting to elect a committee to organize the tournament.

Since then, the seven-member committee met once a month up until January when they began to hold weekly meetings.

The only major challenge the committee has had to deal with for the 2008 tournament has been accommodating the increased number of teams with ice time, but an extra five hours of game play on Sunday, March 30 solved this problem.

The tournament is open to all aboriginal players who meet the age requirements for a specific division.

The five divisions include the ‘A’ division, ‘B’ division, Old timers division, Youth division and Jamboree division.

Participants in the ‘A’ and ‘B’ divisions must be at least 18 years old. Teams can have a maximum of 21 players registered, but only 19 can be dressed at one time.

The ‘A’ division also allows for teams to have a maximum of three non-aboriginal players, excluding the goalie, while the ‘B’ division allows for teams to have a total of two non-aboriginal players, which also excludes the goalie.

This year’s Native Hockey Tournament will feature six teams competing in the ‘A’ division and 14 in total playing in the ‘B’.

All entry fees at the tournament must be paid towards the YIHA. The 2008 entry fee for teams in the ‘A’ division was set at $800, while ‘B’ divisional teams had to pay $700.

The Old timers division is still relatively new to the tournament and is entering its second year. It will feature four teams in total, which is up from three in 2007.

Players competing in the Old timers division must be at least 35 years old. Teams are allowed to have a maximum of three non-aboriginal players, excluding the goalie.

The entry fee for teams in the Old timers division was $600.

The Youth division saw the biggest increase for the 2008 tournament, rising from eight teams the previous year to 12.

Participants have to be between the ages of 10-13 and each team can have a maximum of 16 players, which can include two non-aboriginal players. Team entry fees for the youth category were $100.

The Jamboree division also allows for teams to carry a maximum of 16 players, which includes two non-aboriginal players.

Players must be 14-18 years old and teams had to pay an entry fee of $100. There are five teams competing in the Jamboree division.

Teams at the Native Hockey Tournament will be playing for cash prizes and bragging rights. Usually the prize money is based on the previous year’s total and how many teams participate in the tournament.

There are still a couple of teams who are expected to register by today’s deadline, so members of the tournament’s board will make a final decision on the the cash prizes for each division at their last meeting on Tuesday.

A decision on the tournament’s schedule is expected to be made by Thursday morning.

Weekend passes for the event are $25 per person, while daily passes are valued at $10. Passes include admittance into all three arenas.

All participants in the hockey tournament must buy a weekend pass.

Fundraising done at the Native Hockey Tournament will also go towards sending a group of youth to the National Aboriginal Hockey Championship, which is being held in May in Sault Ste Marie, Ont.

The Yukon group who will attend this year is comprised of four girls and six boys.