The fifth annual Road Rage Street Hockey Tournament is set to face off this Saturday at the Servus Place parking lot.
The weekend tournament will pit close to 80 teams, with kids between the ages of 4 and 17 competing.
“This will be our biggest year yet,” said organizer Rob Brown. “For us, it’ll be more of the same. It’s a good enjoyable weekend where kids can come and have a good time. It takes us back to the time where we used to play road hockey in front of the house.”
The Road Rage tournament gets help from around 30 to 50 volunteers each year to help referee, score-keep, and provide first aid experience. Expect a carnival-like atmosphere as different sponsors are in attendance, providing food and drinks, prizes, and more.
Corus Radio, one of the sponsors, will be in attendance providing the music for the weekend, and Jack’s Burger Shack will be one of the food vendors available.
The tournament has grown over the past five years, from 30 teams participating the first year to almost 80 teams today.
“I think we have 130 games on Saturday,” Brown said. “We have gotten a lot better at getting scheduling and registration done over the years. As soon as the weekend comes, it pretty much runs itself.”
All teams are guaranteed at least three games in the tournament, with the possibility of advancing further. For the organizers however, the main focus isn’t about winning, but coming out and having fun with their friends.
“That’s our goal, to make sure everybody leaves after the weekend feeling that they had a fun time hanging with their buddies, with their parents coming out and watching them play,” Brown said. “When we sit up top and look out and see the kids having fun, smiling and high fiving each other, to us that means we’ve had success.”
The tournament starts on Saturday at 9 a.m. and the day closes out at 4 p.m. On Sunday the first game is set for 10 a.m. with the tournament expected to come to a conclusion at 3 p.m. Registration is full for the tournament, but waiting list registrations can still be filled out. More information on the Road Rage Street Hockey Tournament can be found at www.roadragestreethockey.com.
