Junior C championship tourney begins Wednesday

After a long season and a lot of preparation, the stage is set for the 2018 Maritime Hockey North junior C championship.

The Southside Lynx will play host at the South Shore Actiplex from April 4 to 8.

Joining the host Southside Lynx representing P.E.I. is the Sherwood Metros, who defeated the Tignish Aces in seven games to capture the P.E.I. Junior C Hockey League title.

The uniqueness of this annual event is the participation of a team from Hockey North. This year’s representative, the Baffin Blizzard, will travel over 3,300 kilometres to arrive on P.E.I. The majority of the players are from Iqaluit, and one player is from Rankin Inlet. The budget for the team to travel to P.E.I. for this year’s championship is in the $50,000 range. The team receives some funding support, but the majority is garnered through fundraising efforts. The last time this tournament was hosted on P.E.I. in Charlottetown in 2015, the Blizzard defeated the Lynx 6-5 in the championship game.

The Spryfield Attack of Nova Scotia and the Tri County Rivercats of New Brunswick round out the five-team field.

The 10-game round robin begins on Wednesday, with the Blizzard taking on the Metros at 4 p.m., and the Lynx meeting the Rivercats at 7 p.m. The two semifinal games will be played on Saturday, and the championship match will go on Sunday at 2 p.m.