On Thursday, February 16, recreational players gathered at the Empty Keg for the Merritt Mixed Hockey Tournament Draft. Players coming from different hockey leagues in the Nicola Valley, will have the opportunity to socialize and have some fun playing the game they love, without all the aches and pains that traditionally comes with the sport.
The Empty Keg last Thursday night was host to 18 out of the 45 registered players of the Merritt Mixed Hockey Tournament Draft. Players gathered sharing laughs, good tidings, and their love for the game.
“It’s been lots of fun,” said Organizer Brodie Ferris. “The goalies got to pick the teams and there’s been jokes made about immediately trading players. It’s nice to get the players from different leagues together. We have a good range players for age and skill level so this should be a lot of fun.”
Taking place at the last weekend of February, the two-day event is a draft tournament, designed to have rec players meet fellow enthusiasts and play in a fun filled weekend.
With the number of leagues offered in the valley, the mixer aims to have players connect and play with others that they wouldn’t necessarily have an opportunity to.
“There’s quite a bit of adult rec hockey players, both male and female, in the community,” said Ferris.
“They are generally quite eager to get together and play social hockey, that’s why we’ve got quite a few leagues. However, we don’t have anything that brings them together. The idea behind the event was also to bring together all these groups that play separately.”
The tournament is set to take place on February 25-26 at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena.
