From the rink comes word Oceanside Place will be some packed with young players during the upcoming long weekend as Parksville plays host to the annual Poppy Hockey tournament which features both a Bantam and Midget division with eight teams each.
“Oh yeah, there’s going to be 270 kids, so the place will be busy,” confirmed tournament co-ordinator Cathy Van Herwaarden, pointing out there will be teams from Vancouver, Chilliwack and all over the Island in attendance.
The local Bantams open the tournament Thursday, Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. as the Oceanside Black play Oceanside Red. Oceanside White takes to the ice against Comox at 6 p.m.
In Midget action, Oceanside’s Black Panthers take on Cowichan Friday at 6:45 p.m, and the Oceanside Red Army plays Comox at 7:45 p.m. with Oceanside Green to play Victoria at 8:30 p.m.
There are games all day Saturday, and the playoffs for both divisions go Sunday with the gold medal game for the Midgets starting at 2:30 p.m., and the Bantams at 2:45 p.m..
“We’ll have a raffle table and 50/50 draws ... it’s going to be busy,” said Cathy, pointing out admission is free and the tournament open to the public.
The top three finishers in each division all get medals. —News Staff