71 Teams Battling It Out In the 64th Annual Liftlock U11 Hockey Tournament Beginning Friday
/One of Peterborough’s most significant hockey traditions is back for its 64th year as the Annual Liftlock U11 Hockey Tournament hits the ice starting Friday, announced at the Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame on Monday night.
Garth Stoner (left), Neil Moloney (middle) and Carl Silevestri (right) The tournament was formerly called the Peterborough Liftlock Atom Hockey Tournament. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The three-day event starts Friday, with opening ceremonies for house league and rep divisions beginning at 10 a.m. at the Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC). YourTV Cogeco is broadcasting the first two opening games for house and rep divisions.
The broadcasted games are the Ennismore Eagles White taking on the PHA Purple Panthers for the house league opening game at 10 a.m. Friday. The other is the Peterborough Petes battling against the Toronto Wolverines at 11:30 a.m. in the rep league opening game, also known as the Chris Fee Cup. It pits the host Peterborough team against the visiting squad.
This year features 71 teams from throughout the province in 13 divisions. They are playing throughout six arenas in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. This tournament runs for a second straight year after being shelved for 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tournament chairman Wally Moore says that since the inaugural tournament in 1958. The event has been supported for generations by volunteers and sponsors to help make it a long-standing Peterborough tradition which fits the tournament motto, ‘Not just a hockey tournament...It's a community affair.’
“The longevity of this has made this tournament so well. All the volunteers come back year after year,” he explained. “A lot of us have been doing this for 40 years but the new ones we bring in, our kids have been doing this for 20 years so it's a community thing.”
A cheque presentation of $2,500 was also donated to Kairos Non-Profit Housing of Peterborough and Camp Northern Lights as the chosen beneficiaries, as the tournament supports a local charity or more annually.
Several awards were distributed ahead of the opening ceremonies recognizing some volunteers for their contributions to the tournament over the years:
Don McCrory Referee’s Award for exemplifying McCrory’s dedication to officiating - Neil Moloney
Steve Casey Award for a volunteer going the extra mile to contributing to the tournament’s success – Garth Stoner
Frank Lustic Award for exemplifying all Lustic’s qualities who volunteered for over 25 years in minor sports – Carl Silvestri
