Sherwood Park ball hockey is set to take the Western stage.
Recently, Randy Rosen, the Canadian Ball Hockey Association (CBHA) vice-president of minors, announced that Park Ball Hockey has been awarded CBHA’s largest minor ball hockey tournament — the Western Challenge Cup.
“Our executive is very excited to be awarded the WCC, and our members and partners in the community are eager to extend our hospitality to make this Western Challenge Cup one to remember, said Mary Muir, a director with Park Ball Hockey.
“This is considered a major accomplishment for a league that has only been operating for six years, and is touted as one of the best-run leagues in the province.”
The Ball Hogz youth program is currently preparing for another season, and Muir noted the announcement that the local club will be hosting “a tournament of this calibre” has the potential of drawing in even more players.
“We saw this type of growth last season with Junior Nationals hosted so close to home in Edmonton,” she explained.
The WCC tournament, founded in 1999, serves as a venue for minor ball hockey players to compete against other teams throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with an expected 50 teams set to participate in 2017 (U-11, U-13, U-15, U-17, and U-19 divisions).