The Collingwood Jr. ‘A’ hockey team will be hosting a six-team tournament that organizers hope will be an annual event focused on offering players a chance to be seen by university scouts.
This weekend, Collingwood Blues will host the inaugural Cottage Cup, welcoming five teams from Ontario and NCAA scouts to watch the on-ice action.
This marks one of the first times in a year-and-a-half the Blues can welcome large numbers of spectators to the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena.
Ticket prices will be kept low as the tournament is not-for-profit. There will also be some tickets reserved as free admission for families who might face financial barriers in attending a local hockey game.
“The game plan is to make the Blues truly Collingwood’s team,” said Terry Geddes, chairperson for the team’s board of directors. “We’ve all had a year-and-a-half of restrictions, now the Blues are saying come out and enjoy yourselves at a hockey game.”
Based on current restrictions, the Blues can welcome spectators to fill about half the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena capacity, which allows approximately 650 people at each game.
Geddes said the team is aiming to make Cottage Cup an annual event.
This year, the tournament will include the Collingwood Blues, Ottawa Jr. Sens, Navan Grads, Cobourg Cougars, Trenton Golden Hawks, and the North York Rangers.
Games will take place Saturday, Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. with the final game starting at 6 p.m., and on Sunday, Sept. 19, from 9 a.m. with the final game starting at 4:20 p.m. There will be 12 games in total, and Collingwood Blues will play at least three games.
Admission is $20 for a day pass and $30 for a weekend pass. Tickets are available online at ticketpro.ca.
Those who would like to ask about free admission, can email [email protected] or call Chris Potts at 705-441-5576.
