Orleans
 

Stage set for second Beaver Cup

Posted Feb 5, 2010 By EMC News
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EMC Sports - Organizers of this year's Great Canadian Beaver Cup Pond Hockey Championships at Dow's Lake next weekend are looking to score big with Winterlude fans.

The annual 30-team event takes place Feb. 12-14, the second weekend of the national capital's winter celebration, and will feature end-to-end 4-on-4 action from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. Co-ordinator Les Gagne reports the event, now into its second year in Ottawa, is just about sold out.

"The response this year has been very encouraging," he said.

Three 'ponds' will be set up on the the Rideau Canal at Dow's Lake with the tournament headquarters established at Malone's Lakeside Grill in the nearby pavilion.

This year's tournament features two divisions Men's Recreational (21 years and up) and Men's Masters Division (38 years and up). Teams can include up to six members (four on the ice at one time) with no goalies. The 'nets' measure six feet in length and just 10 inches high. Games feature two 15-minute periods with continuous play.

For a complete set of rules, visit www.beavercup.ca

The EMC is a proud sponsor of this year's tournament which, in addition to the two divisions, also features a pond hockey game pitting celebrities and mascots against one another at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14.

Most of the teams involved in this year's championship come from the Ottawa region, but there will be representation from Montreal as well as Prince Edward Island. As the tournament continues to grow year to year, Gagne says he expects to host teams from Chicago, Maryland, New England and even Los Angeles.

There will be five pools of six teams each. Each team can be made up of up to six players and is guaranteed three round robin games. Top teams in each pool advance to the quarterfinals, joined by three 'wildcards' with the next best records.

Tournament action runs Friday, Feb. 12 from 5-8 p.m., all day Saturday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and again on Sunday (playoffs) from 9 a.m. to the finals at 3 p.m.