Greater Trail arenas will be hives of activity as the Greater Trail Minor Hockey Association’s Pee Wee Tier 2 and 3 teams get set to host their tournament on the weekend.
Seven teams take to the ice for the Tier 2 event with Greater Trail welcoming Nelson, Spokane, Kelowna, Westside, Penticton and Port Moody to this year’s event. Games will take place mainly at the Cominco Arena in Trail, however three games are also scheduled for the Rossland Arena.
The Tier 2 Pee Wees play in the Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey Association where they faced off against Kelowna, Penticton, and Westside this season. The Tier 2 Smokies placed third in the tightly-contested division just four points back of Westside and two behind Kelowna.
“I think they can compete with any team,” said GTMHA president Mark Ballarin, whose son plays on the team. “They have a good chance going to the semifinals and finals, as long as they decide to play.”
GTMHA Tier 2 Pee Wees open the tournament at 12:45 p.m. Friday against Nelson, and again at 7:30 p.m. versus Port Moody.
The Tier 3 Pee Wee division holds all its games at the Beaver Valley Arena with teams from Grand Forks, Spokane, Creston, Kelowna, and Cranbrook joining the fray in Fruitvale.
The Pee Wee Tier 3 Smoke Eaters kick off the weekend Friday at 3 p.m. against Grand Forks. Each team will play three games in the round robin with the seeded teams vying for top spot in the playoffs on Sunday.