For the first time in 15 years, a Kelowna team has been invited to the biggest tournament there is for the Peewee age group. After a stellar season that saw the Kelowna Peewee Rockets winning tournament after tournament, organizers of the Tournoi International de Hockey Pee-wee de Quebec sent out an invitation.
The Peewee Rockets are coached by former NHL'er Byron Ritchie. "For some reason, this '06, '07 age group in Kelowna is very talented," said Ritchie. "So we're very lucky to have a good group of kids."
The players, including Ritchie's son Ryder, are thrilled. "It's going to feel great," said the younger Ritchie. "It's going to be a great experience. It's going to be a lot of fun."
The tournament is the most prestigious in the world for this age group. It's expected to draw over 200 thousand spectators over the course of the event. The teams represent 19 different countries and they are selected with the purpose of bringing in the world's best.
"There will be a lot of select teams where they have certain try-outs for to play on the teams that come to this tournament," said Coach Ritchie, "so the competition will be tough." But this is a hard-working group he says and they tend to rise to the occasion.
"The boys have showed so far this year that we can hang with the best of them and if we're on our game, I like our chances against most teams."
For the former Vancouver Canuck, it brings back memories. He played at the Tournoi twice as a Peewee.
"I remember big crowds, great atmosphere," recalls Ritchie. "It's the Carnival going on at the time so there's lots to do outside of the rink and it was just an awesome experience."
The puck drops February 13th in Quebec City, and the Peewee Rockets are continuing with fundraising efforts between now and then to help defer the costs.
