It is hockey’s last hurrah at the Agrena, a season-ending tradition that is as much about camaraderie as sport.
The Annual Barrhead Old Vets Men’s and Ladies Hockey Tournament saw as many as 180 players get together for a four-day festival of fun.
They came from all over the area, including Westlock, Whitecourt, Athabasca, Linaria and Red Deer.
When the hockey – and partying was over – it was the highly impressive High Prairie team that took top honours in the men’s section, thumping Westlock 8-3 in Sunday’s ‘A’ final.
The game was a repeat of last year’s final, which also saw High Prairie come out on top.
On the women’s side, the crowd was treated to an enthralling encounter between two evenly matched teams, Fort Assiniboine and Rich Valley Ladies.
The first two periods saw end-to-end action without any goals. Fort Assiniboine finally broke the deadlock after about five minutes in the third.
Fort netted again after Rich Valley left their goalmouth unprotected during an all-out attempt to level the match. The two goals settled the contest.
One of the men who helped organize the tournament was Shannon Carlson.
He said the event had been held for more than 20 years. Although a sporting occasion, it is also a fundraiser.
A Saturday night dinner and dance at the Multi-Purpose Room is always a weekend highlight, with money raised from raffles for the Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) and the Arena.
“The tournament went very well,” said Carlson. “All the teams enjoyed themselves.”
Twelve teams took part in the Thursday-Sunday tournament. They were divided into four three-team pools.
In Men’s Pool A were Barrhead Old Vets, Westlock and Red Deer, while Men’s Pool B featured Rich Valley Relics, High Prairie and Linaria Barons.
Women’s Pool C members were Rich Valley Ladies, Redwater, and Whitecourt. In Women’s Pool D Fort Assiniboine, Linaria Ladies and Athabasca-Boyle.
Carlson said the format ensures that each team is guaranteed three games.
Nobody was surprised to see High Prairie make the final. Once again they were the tournament’s outstanding team.
After the ‘A’ final, Westlock’s Perry Kulmatyski, a teacher at the town’s R.F. Staples School, looked exhausted.
As someone who plays fun hockey with a group of guys called the Westlock Chiefs, he is not used to competing with such intensity.
He praised the quality of High Prairie, saying it was no disgrace to lose against them.
“They’re a really good, hard team,” he said.
Rick Visser, who helped his team Linaria Barons defeat Red Deer in the ‘B’ final, said he had been taking part in the tournament for the last five years.
“I would like to thank the Old Vets for putting this on,” he said.
Visser said the hockey was competitive – one player even lost a tooth – but he admitted he did not “go in as hard” as he used to do.
“Basically, it’s the camaraderie that I really enjoy,” he said.
