INNISFAIL – It didn’t feel like spring, but that didn’t stop hockey enthusiasts from participating in the Dean Turnquist Spring Fever Road Hockey Tournament.
The 24th annual event took place at the Innisfail Arena on May 4.
"It's come full circle for a lot of these young adults. They started playing in the kids' tournament and now they're putting in their own teams in the adult division," said Nicole Pillman, committee member. "We have 10 adult teams this year and a lot of new players, so that's great."
Dozens of participants from Innisfail and surrounding communities across Central Alberta took part in the annual tournament, many of them returning year after year, noted Pillman.
One of them was Innisfail Eagles forward Riley Simpson who has participated in the event for the past several years.
He was joined by Eagles teammates Danyon Lorencz and Blair Mulder.
"This is probably my third year putting a team in. It's a lot of fun," said Simpson. "Everyone enjoys it and it's always a good time.
"It's for an awesome cause," he added.
Pillman said the tournament has been held indoors and outdoors over the years, mainly due to costs.
"The Rotary Club of Innisfail sponsored our venue this year so they paid for the arena. That’s one of our biggest costs,” said Pillman.
Due to a lack of participants this year, the kids' tournament had to be cancelled, she noted.
"Since we started the kids' tournament, this is the first time that we haven’t run it," said Pillman, noting several conflicting sports events on the same day. "We're actually looking at a couple of different weekends next year to get the kids' event back up and running."
Each year the Dean Turnquist Spring Fever Road Hockey Tournament raises money for the Helping Hand Fund, a local charity that helps provide an opportunity for kids to play sports.
"We help with either registration fees or equipment that's needed,” said Pillman. “We've done a couple of lump sum donations in the last couple of years as well," she added, noting the Innisfail minor football and lacrosse associations. “It's expensive to have your kids in sports so families can apply for help.
"Dean started this (event) after the (inaugural) tournament helped raise money for him and he wanted to keep it going," said Pillman. "It's been great. We've been able to help lots of families.”
For more information visit www.deanturnquist.ca
