Men and women hockey players gathered in Lac La Hache and 100 Mile House for the 100 Mile Adult Hockey Tournament last weekend.
The tournament, which took place between Jan. 17 and 19, is a continuation of the Oldstars Tournament. The men played at the South Cariboo Rec Centre with rec and 35+ teams including SC Motor Sport, Red Rock, the Iceaholics, Lakers, Dirk Digglers, Dirty Nailers, Free Radicals and unnamed teams from Kamloops and Quesnel all competing. As for the women, they played at the Rolf Zeis Memorial Arena in Lac La Hache with five teams playing including the 100 Mile Shooters, a team from Quesnel, a team from Canim Lake and two teams from Williams Lake.
Bev Fry is the organizer of the women's portion of the tournament and said that it has been very difficult to get the women back up and playing after COVID-19.
"We're just so thankful that sponsors will come and support these types of events, so that women that have played hockey their whole lives have a place to come and play and just at the end of the day, it's all about fun," Fry noted.
The women's portion of the tournament consisted of all five teams playing, with everyone getting around three games.
"If you get a win, you get two points - you get a tie, you get one point - a loss, you get zero. And then we tally it up in the end, and whoever gets the most points is the winner," Fry explained. In the case there was a tie, the team with the least penalties would take home the victory.
One of the players who participated in the women's portion of the tournament was Chelsea Weatherill, the goalie for the 100 Mile Shooters, who came in second place. Weatherill says that the 100 Mile Shooters have been playing together for around 15 years now and that they try to keep the same core group for years.
"We, the Shooters team, have actually done the women's side of the tournament for years. So we actually run it and facilitate it as well as play in it," Weatherill explained.
Weatherill however said that they did not expect to win the women's hockey tournament, citing the quality of the competition.
"It's pretty even across the board - and some of us are getting old," Weatherill said, noting two members of the 100 Mile Shooters were over the age of 50. Weatherill says they hoped to have a good time - and had been most looking forward to the dinner dance.
"It's lots of fun like a bunch of adults getting together and acting like kids."
As for the men's side of the tournament, they had similar motivations. Gary Stone is one of the players with the Red Rock hockey team and chose to participate to support local hockey, as well as having a good all-around workout.
"Just get out and get the blood pumping, and you know, get back into the game of hockey," Stone summarized.
He said that his team had been made up of people who had worked in the industry and have networked with each other over the years.
"Guys say, hey, do you want to play and sure, why not?" Stone said. "I was just a late-comer, been here for around 10 years now, and just got to meet guys on Friday night hockey out of Lac La Hache."
Stone says he feels great about the tournament in general, but that he feels a lot of his players were out of shape.
"But that's okay. We're here for fun. We're not here for competition," Stone said.
Greg Aiken, the main organizer of the 100 Mile Adult Hockey Tournament, said that the tournament was fun and promotes camaraderie. Aiken had been holding tournaments like the Adult Hockey Tournament since 1994.
"I look forward to it every year. It's a lot of fun," Aiken remarked. "And I see lots of faces that I haven't seen in a year - and it's a bunch of guys that I've played hockey with over the years and against for probably the last 30, 40 years."
He especially appreciates the fact that the tournament attracts out-of-town teams from Kamloops and Quesnel.
"They'll take the time to travel and come up here, and stay in hotels, and sink money into this town, or they're eating at restaurants and here at the concession," Aiken said. "It brings some extra revenue into the town, and in January, when things are pretty slow."
The Kamloops team won the 19+ division of the men's tournament, while South Cariboo Motor Sports was the winner of the 35+ division of the men's tournament. In the women's tournament, the winner was the Williams Lake Blue Team.
