The 2016 Midget Tier 3 BC Championship kicked off on March 13 with five games in a row before the opening ceremony, followed by a sixth game on Sunday night between the Sunshine Coast Blues and Dawson Creek.
Games continued throughout the week until Thursday, March 17 – all held at the Gibsons and Area Community Centre and organized by the Sunshine Coast Minor Hockey Association (SCMHA).
“I’m really proud of the parent group that pulled this all together, and particularly of our team of young men,” SCMHA committee chair Brenda Rowe said. “The way they’ve carried themselves throughout the year has really filled the stands. They’re highly respected young men. They represent the Sunshine Coast really well.”
Nine teams are visiting the Coast from all over B.C. Loose estimates put the number of visitors on the Coast at over 1,000, but Gibsons Chamber of Commerce executive director Chris Nicholls said that it could be as high as 2,000.
“Teams are guaranteed three games, so they’re here at least two or three nights,” Nicholls said. “I saw teams yesterday – one from Dawson Creek and another one from Trail; they had to travel quite a ways.”
Rowe estimated they had about 2,700 people go through the arena on the first day. She said they saw roughly 800 people in the arena during the opening ceremony – so many that about 100 had to watch the game on TVs in the lobby.
Two BC Hockey officials were at the games to oversee everything happening on the ice. Rowe said there were also about four or five scouts on the Coast with an eye out for talented players.
Gibsons Mayor Wayne Rowe said that while he’s happy to have so many visitors stimulating the Coast’s economy, the real benefit is for the players.
“Certainly it has some immediate benefits for various businesses – obviously hotel accommodation and other retailers – but it’s a great sport,” Rowe said. “By bringing a group like this to the Coast, it gives them opportunity – local kids as well – to mingle with kids from other parts of the province with a shared love of hockey and just get to know each other and enjoy the sport.”
Check out the sports section for game coverage and see more photos in our online photo gallery.
