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Old Timers tournament draws teams from across the north

Old Timers tournament draws teams from across the north
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Two Smithers Drillers teams faced off on Saturday

The annual Old Timers Hockey Tournament at the Smithers Civic Centre Arena was held two weekends ago, with eight men’s teams and, for the first time, three women’s teams taking part. Organizer Ian Grieve said despite some horrible weather, the teams all reported having a great time.

“The sportsmanship was good, all the games were fairly close, and a good time was had by all,” he said.

Teams from Prince George, Vanderhoof, Prince Rupert and Dease Lake made the trek to play hockey for the weekend. The Dease Lake team drove seven hours to play, he said, since they don’t have any closer opportunities for a game. Smithers also provided several men’s and women’s teams.

About half of the players braved freezing rain and several centimetres of slush to attend a dance on Saturday night, with live music provided for the players and their spouses. Grieve also mentioned that the tournament is good for businesses in the town, as the players and their spouses usually spend some time on Saturday afternoon wandering the shops on Main Street.

The addition of a women’s division is new for the Old Timers tournament, and was definitely a positive development.

“I think the combo of both men’s and women’s teams added a lot,” he said. “We hope to continue the same format going into 2012.”