Sacred Heart Catholic High School’s annual Cup Winter Classic Hockey Tournament is returning to Newmarket rinks next month for its biggest iteration to date.
This February marks the fourth year of the tournament, a co-ed competition hosted by Sacred Heart that gives local elementary school kids the chance to represent their school in a fun-filled day of hockey.
Participating schools have jumped from 12 to 18 for this year’s winter classic, a testament to the growth and excitement surrounding the event run by teachers and student volunteers.
“This was something that we started in 2019 because we thought it would be a good opportunity for kids to be able to play hockey and represent their schools on the ice. It started off small and has grown each year since,” said John Ceci, a mathematics teacher at Sacred Heart and the organizer of the tournament.
“The kids and the community always get excited about it and the word keeps getting out there. More and more schools want to join and participate and it is great to see everyone coming together and having a fun time on the ice and playing together.”
Ceci also notes that the tournament is a great opportunity for kids to play with their friends who may not get the chance outside of a school setting due to rep and house league hockey’s various levels and divisions.
With the largest competition in the cup’s history slated to take place this year, Ceci and student volunteers have devised a modified format for the tournament in hopes of keeping games running smoothly.
Instead of the regular three periods, teams will play two games consisting of 12-minute run times. Depending on the results, teams will then be sorted into three tiers, with the top six teams moving into the highest tier. Separate championship playoff rounds will take place for each tier to determine each Cup Winter Classic champion for this year.
Winners of each tier are awarded a custom banner to be hung in their school.
Pucks will drop on Tuesday, Feb. 11, with the tournament running from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Magna Centre in Newmarket.
“This has always been a day about having fun and giving kids the opportunity to play with friends and siblings and to go out there and have a good time,” Ceci said.
The schools participating this year are Holy Name Catholic Elementary, Wellington Public School, YCDSB Saints (St. Paul, St. Elizabeth Seton, Good Shepherd), Poplar Bank Public School, Armitage Village Public School, St. Katharine Drexel, Lester B. Pearson, Mazo de la Roche, Our Lady of the Lake, St. Mary Catholic Elementary, Crossland Public School, Holy Spirit Catholic Elementary, Ballantrae Public School, Our Lady of Grace, Oak Ridges Public School, OLGC, Rick Hansen Public School and Notre Dame Catholic Elementary.
More information on this year's tournament can be found on its official website.