Extreme cold doesn’t stop shinny for charity
Jan 31, 2010 - 10:39 AM
By Jeff Hayward
PORT PERRY -- The extreme cold on Saturday didn’t stop a flood of hockey lovers to Port Perry’s downtown core for a little old-fashioned fun.
The inaugural Lake Scugog Pond Hockey Charity Tournament took place Jan. 30 on five ice rinks made especially for the occasion near the Port Perry Marina at Queen and Water streets. And while the thermometer hovered around -20 C Saturday morning, 28 hockey teams, eight of them a mix of men and women, engaged in some friendly three-on-three shinny while music played and the sun shone brightly.
The fun kicked off at 8:30 a.m., but it was more than just sport: the event was designed to net some cash for the Durham Region chapter of Autism Ontario and the Scugog Memorial Public Library. Marianne Tracey, an organizer, said organizers expected to hand over $8,000 to be split between the two. The idea for the tournament was almost on a whim but “I think we pulled it off,” she said, adding John Mackey of Port Perry Marina helped create the ice surfaces for the friendly battle.
The tournament drew players from Uxbridge and as far as Belleville and Guelph.
“A lot of it was word of mouth,” she explained.
Scugog locals took to the sidelines to check out the action.
“I think it’s great for the community; it gets people out,” said Randy Prosser of Blackstock. “I used to play with all these guys.”
While the first tournament was only hours old, Ms. Tracey said there are already big plans for the next edition.
“Next year we’re hoping to have kids’ divisions,” she said, adding the top four teams in each division were to receive cash prizes and there were gold, silver and bronze medals to hand out.
Brian Callery, another main helper, said there are hopes the tournament could become a two-day event.
“We kind of pulled this out of a hat,” he said.
A special website was designed for the tournament at www.scugogpondhockey.ca.
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