The 9th annual Saugeen Shores Women’s Silver Stick regional tournament is underway.
Games got underway this morning at several venues in Bruce and Grey counties.
Speaking on Soundingboard Tournament Director Alicia Scott said 75 teams are competing in the three day event with the right to move onto Silver Stick championships that will be held next Feburary.
Saugeen Shores has three teams entered.
Scott says the economic benefit to the area exceeds a half-million dollars in accomodation, shopping and restaurant spending.
Besides the arenas in Port Elgin and Southampton, facilities are being used in Paisley, Tiverton and Owen Sound.
Championship games will be played in Saugeen Shores on Sunday.
Scott says the teams playing at the Plex on Sunday during a planned power outage will have no problems.
The Plex will have power from a generator and the Saugeen Shores Figure Club will be on hand Sunday morning, to provide hot breakfasts for players and fans who have early games at the facility.
The official opening of the tournament takes place this evening around 6 when the tournament will be dedicated to Caitlyn Cobean, a 15 year old Saugeen Shores girl who died of brain cancer this past August.
Cobean had been very much involved in hockey in Saugeen Shores.
Scott says Cobean’s number 10 sweater will be retired at tonight’s ceremony and put on display at the Plex.
In addition the Cobean family has purchased memorial patches which all girls minor hockey players in Saugeen Shores will wear on their sweaters for the rest of the year.
