There were no Halloween masks on the ice but girls participating in the 15-annual HOCKtoberfest tournament had their game faces on. The spirited event featured 58 teams, 9 divisions with competition happening on five local rinks in five different municipalities. "Our event was extremely successful." said organizer Elisa Mitton. "We had an exceptional number of divisions and teams this year growing over 10-percent from last year and we were able to showcase their talents."
Players, coaches and parents had no shortage of things to do after a busy day of competition as some took in a pair of University of Windsor women's hockey games. The Lancers beat York 3-2 on Friday and followed up with a 3-2 win over TMU Sunday.
Others couldn't resist the lure of the harvest moon cast above Scarehouse Windsor and lost their voices in the spine-tingling haunt. Tournament organizers are hoping to re-introduce a Halloween contest next season.
Five local teams qualified for their divisional finals. The event helps raise funds that are invested back into the community to help local teams, provide a scholarship to a U-18 player and help a young female coach achieve certification.
Mitton says the glow on the faces of players drives her and the committee to continue the HOCKtoberfest tradition. "To see how much fun they are having. When I presented the medal to the U-11's. They were so excited. They were cheering. They did a victory lap. It was awesome." Mitton said. "All that hard work we put in makes it worth it."
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