Cook’s Cup tournament hitting the ice
10 boys teams and 3 girls teams slated to take part
High school hockey will be showcased this week in Yarmouth as the 11th annual Cook’s Cup tournament is held.
The tournament, which this year is presented by title sponsor Pleasant Supplies Timber Mart, is scheduled to open with games on Thursday evening, Dec. 14, and conclude with the boys’ championship on Sunday, Dec. 17.
From the opening to the closing of the tournament, 25 games involving boys and girls high school hockey teams are scheduled.
(Note: Check the Cook’s Cup Yarmouth Facebook page for any modifications to the schedule.)
The tournament is being cohosted by the YCMHS Vikings and Par-en-Bas Sharks boys’ hockey teams. The two teams got together and hosted a mini version of the Cook’s Cup in March after last year’s December tournament hosted by the Vikings had to be cancelled due to work to rule and the Division 3 provincial high school hockey tournament that PEB was to host was cancelled by NSSAF.
The boys teams signed up for the tournament are Yarmouth, Par-enBas, Avon View, Barrington, Clare, Dartmouth, Digby, Park View, Prince Andrew and Sir John A.
The girls teams are Yarmouth, Par-en-Bas (which also has some Clare players) and East Hants.
The two host teams are looking forward to the event.
“Our team, this season, is getting stronger each game as this season progresses and we are expecting the same as we go into Cook’s Cup weekend,” says Vikings head coach Craig Minard. “We have a good mix of young and experienced players, who have started to come together and play as a team.”
Minard says the Cook’s Cup tradition means a lot to the team.
“The team is excited. The Cook’s Cup is definitely one of the high- lights of our season,” Minard says. “There is a lot of energy around the rink that weekend, which will provide some great hockey for the fans.”
Yarmouth will play Clare, Avon View and Dartmouth in the round robin.
“We have had a couple of close games with Clare, and the last time we faced Avon View it was extremely close with them winning in the last few minutes of the game,” Minard says. “We have not faced Dartmouth, but they, like any city team, will be a good challenge for us.”
The Par-en-Bas Sharks will play Clare, Avon View and Sir John A in the round robin. In March, the PEB Sharks were edged out 3-2 by West Kings in the championship game of the six-team Cook’s Cup that took place.
“The boys are excited for this year’s Cook’s Cup,” says Sharks head coach Julien Boudreau. “After falling short in the finals last year we are hungry to get back there.”
For both the Vikings and the Sharks, the Mariners Centre is home ice for practices and when they host league games. Boudreau says Cook’s Cup is always a special tournament because you get to play at home.
“Especially for the grade 12’s who get to play in front of their family and friends in a tournament,” he says.
Pulling together a tournament like this is a big undertaking in terms of planning, finances and the running of the event.
“We would like to thank all the sponsors and volunteers,” says Boudreau. “Without them this tournament could not happen. Merci beaucoup.”
Games played in Arena 1 will be live streamed by the MC Media volunteer video crew.
The MC Media live stream website link is livestream.com/mcentremedia.
The tournament also serves as a fundraiser for the Vikings and Sharks boys teams, which is important given that it runs each team around $25,000 to operate their seven-month seasons due to ice rentals for games and practices; costs for officials, game announcers and scorekeepers; tournament registrations; team equipment and gear; league fees and other costs associated with running the season.
Some of the fundraising aspects of the Cook’s Cup tournament will include 50/50 draws, the sale of seafood chowder for $5 a bowl and a gift card wreath raffle, in which ticket purchasers will have multiple chances to win wreaths with gift cards. Tickets are one for $2 and 3 for $5. The Yarmouth Vikings and the Barrington Barons are two of the five local boys teams competing in the Cook’s Cup high school hockey tournament.