By Tanya Traverse
Excited cheers from the stands and proud smiles on young faces – that was the scene at the Revelstoke Forum on Saturday, January 28, as the Initiation Hockey team (five- and six-year-olds) hosted their home tournament. The local players were excited to play games against teams from Salmon Arm, Sicamous and Vernon who came up for the one-day event.
Initiation games are played in a cross-ice format, allowing two simultaneous games. Smaller nets and ice surface mean that the players get more chances to be involved in the play and practice their skills. With two games going on, coaches can match abilities so everyone is in on the action.
The Revelstoke players were delighted to show off their abilities. They all worked hard at skating, passing, shooting and goaltending. At the end of each game, 2 players were presented with a “Hustle Award”, cheered on by their teammates and proud family members.
Between games all the players enjoyed a snack generously donated by Save-On-Foods. The raffle table was abound with generous prizes donated by:
- G.O. Consulting
- 3 Valley Gap
- Glacier Helicopters
- Scentsy – Kaitlin Brensrud
- Mike McStay Masonry
- Edward Jones – Chris Bostock
- Boulder Mountain Sled Shed
- Mica Heli Skiing
- Zalas
- 1st Impressions
- CP Rail
- Infinite Powersports
- The Revelstoke Garage
Many thanks to Tim Hortons, who donated and took the time to come out and present medals to the players at the end of the day.
A huge thank you to all the sponsors for their generous donations, the arena staff for all the maintenance and cleaning, the arena concession for serving everyone throughout the day and the parents and coaches who volunteered their time for the kids. Congratulations to all the players for working hard and having fun.
