Over 100 Pontiac residents packed the lobby and the cold stands at the Upper Pontiac Sports Complex in Chapeau last weekend for the 14th annual Family Hockey Tournament.
With eight teams competing in two different divisions (A and B), all assembled with members of different families, the round-robin tournament provided locals in attendance with a non-stop display of fast-paced five-on-five action and socializing.
Friday night kicked off with five games and live-music from a DJ, while volunteers sold drinks from the bar and members of the Chapeau Minor Hockey Association held multiple draws with various prizes to win, including a pair of Sens tickets.
On Saturday, the final eight games took place in a more relaxed family-friendly type of atmosphere and the winners of both divisions were announced.
According to David Vaillancourt, one of the organizers and participants in the event, this year’s tournament had one less team than it did last year, however that didn’t keep it from being a popular one among locals and even outsiders.
Having grown significantly in its 14 years of existence, Vaillancourt said this year’s tournament was a huge financial success and he was happy to see so many people gathered in one place for such a special event.
“There’s never crowds here for any other men’s league hockey, but there’s always a crowd for this,” he said “It’s definitely nice to see everybody at the rink.”
With so many families gathered together, in a small town, Vaillancourt says the tournament has become an ideal occasion for locals to get together with their loved ones and soak in some family bonding.
“Everybody gets together,” said Vaillancourt. “It’s a small community, everybody knows each other. It’s been 14 years now, so everybody looks forward to it. Everybody gets to come up here and see people that they don’t get to see that often … there’s a lot of family bonding over the weekend.”
At the end of the three-game round-robin, the Tierney’s we’re crowned as champions of the A division while the Godin’s took the B division title.
According to Vaillaincourt, the event raised over $5,000 for the arena.
J.D. Potié
CHAPEAU March. 22-23, 2019
