The Copper Cup will held Feb. 15 and 16 at the Wakamow Skating Oval.

Most of us pretend that we’re playing for something meaningful when we’re on the outdoor rinks playing a game of shinny, but now you can get the chance to do it for real.

 

The Moose Jaw Police Association is hosting the first annual Copper Cup pond hockey tournament on February 15th and 16th at the Wakamow Skating Oval.

 

“The biggest thing is it’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Corporal Taylor Mickleborough, association president.  “We are definitely emphasizing fun and sportsmanship over competition.  It’s going to be a great opportunity to get out in the cold and play some outdoor hockey on some of the best ice you’re ever going to play on.”

 

The idea for the tournament came about as a way for the MJPA to raise funds for their community initiatives, but in a different way than has ever been seen here in the Friendly City.

 

“This is something that kind of came up from a group of us chatting,” explained Mickleborough.  “As far as we know, there isn’t another pond hockey tournament in Saskatchewan, so we thought it would be a different and exciting way to raise funds for the community.”

 

Hockey isn’t normally allowed on the skating oval, bu Mickleborough said that the city is making an exception for this event.

 

“We’ve been working with the city and they’ve been awesome in allowing us to use the oval for this event,” he said.  “Wakamow and the speed skating club have been gracious in letting us use the oval.”

 

The hope is for 20 to 30 teams to take part in the three-on-three tournament.  If 30 teams sign up, then each team will be guaranteed at least four games in the tournament.

 

“There’s going to be two 15-minute halves, two continuous halves,” said Mickleborough.  “You can have up to five people on your team, so that will give you room to have two subs waiting on the sidelines.”

 

Changes will be able to be made on the fly or during stoppages for an puck going out-of-bounds.

 

“There’s no goalies allowed, there’s an area around the net that’s sort of a no-go area that you can save the puck when it’s being shot on the goal,” said Mickleborough.  “You have two goals at either end that are about six inches high and the idea is to emphasizing passing and skill more than goaltending and defence.

 

“It’s just to kind of get out there, score lots of goals and have fun.”

 

There will be silent auctions and raffles held throughout the two-day tournament.  Brent Seabrook of the Chicago Blackhawks has donated an autographed jersey to be given away.  All the proceeds from the event will be going to local charities and community projects.

 

The tournament is only open to players aged 18-and-older and the cost is $300 per team.  Registration is now open and the deadline is January 31st.

 

To enter a team, contact Chris by calling 306-313-1018 or emailing cflanagan@mjpolice.ca, or calling Sheldon at 306-690-7151 or smacnaughton@mjpolice.ca.