SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Ringette will take centre stage in P.E.I.’s two cities over the next six days.
Play in the Credit Union Canadian ringette championships begins Monday morning. Francois Caron, a co-chair of the event and coach of P.E.I.’s under-16 team, said fans can expect to be entertained.
“Most people come to the rink thinking hockey, but the thing with ringette is there are no off-sides,” explained Caron. “The speed of how the game is played, it’s back and forth, quick and there are lots of shots (are things fans will notice).
“It has a shot clock like basketball, so you can’t cycle and cycle, you have to try and make moves. That is interesting for people.”
Mike James, a tournament co-chair and assistant coach with P.E.I.’s under-19 squad, noted that 43 of the 45 participating teams are from off-Island and will stay on P.E.I. for at least eight days.
“There are also more than 75 officials, shot-clock operators and Ringette Canada staff attending to bring the total number of participants to around 1,000 people,” said James, explaining the significance of the event. “And that doesn’t include the spectators who are travelling to P.E.I. to watch the teams compete.
“This event will have a major impact, and we’re excited to show off our Island hospitality.”
The breakdown of divisions includes 19 in under-16, 18 teams in under-19 and eight in the National Ringette League (NRL) Division.
“The NRL is the top league in Canada, so we will have the best players in Canada here for a week,” said Caron. “You will see as good as it gets for ringette on P.E.I. in Summerside and Charlottetown.”
The P.E.I. Wave under-16 team will open play in the Canadian ringette championships at Credit Union Place in Summerside on Monday. The Wave will take on Alberta Three at 8 a.m. P.E.I. will also play Ontario One in Summerside at 2 p.m.
The P.E.I. Wave under-19 team plays its first game against Ontario One at the Bell Aliant Centre in Charlottetown at 8 a.m. P.E.I. will take on Alberta Four at the Bell Aliant Centre at 3:30 p.m.
The opening game in the National Ringette League at Credit Union Place will take place between the Montreal Mission and Calgary RATH at 11:15 a.m.
Locations
Caron noted that the Under-16 Division will be primarily played in Summerside while the under-19 and NRL teams play primarily out of Charlottetown.
“What we mean by primarily is every team is going to play at least one game in the other community, but they will play the majority of their games in their own community,” said Caron. “That allows them to not have to travel quite as much.”
Caron did confirm that all 45 teams will play at least one game in both Summerside and Charlottetown and surrounding areas.
Overall, 186 games will be webcast allowing for fans across the country to follow their teams.
“Last year’s nationals had 82,000 views, so it’s quite a popular event across Canada,” noted Caron.
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