Twenty-four midget hockey teams are in Cochrane right now, vying for the Yelnats (that’s Stanley, spelled backwards) Cup.
The 14th-annual season-ending hockey tournament for midget-aged (15- 17-year-old) players is one of the most popular in the area. The tournament turned away more than a dozen teams this year and organizers are eyeing expansion in the coming seasons. Teams are coming from B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan.
“It’s been full for at least three weeks now,” said Yelnats tournament chairman Christina Singeris. “It’s been awesome.”
The tournament features 24 teams – eight each in midget Tiers 1, 3 and 5 levels. All are vying for a replica Stanley (Yelnats) Cup made of milk-pail-grade galvanized steel. A Cup is awarded the winner in each division.
“We’ve had over 50 requests for each year (for teams seeking spots at the tournament),” Singeris said. “It’s really hard picking out who to invite. It’s one of maybe five tournaments left for this level of hockey in Alberta and B.C., that midget players can go to.”
For that reason, the Yelnats is looking to expand its tournament to accommodate more teams.
“It started out with eight and then 16 teams,” Singeris said of the Yelnats beginnings. “For the last two years, it’s been 24 teams. If next year is the next step, they’ll look to see if they can expand it even more.”
It’s Singeris’s sixth year as tournament chairman.
“I’m hoping there will be new parents to take it to the next level. Put in a Tier 2 Division maybe.
“We’ll see. It’s so popular.”
There are five Yelnats Cups available, three currently awarded at the end of the tournament to each division winner.
The Yelnats Cup starts noon today (March 27) at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre and runs the entire weekend there, with the finals starting 1:30 p.m. March 30.
