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Saanich Braves pee wee team headed to Ottawa’s hockey on the hill

A Saanich Braves pee wee team are taking their “show on the road,” and are headed to Ottawa to play on the Canada 150 outdoor rink currently installed on Parliament Hill.

A Saanich Braves pee wee team are taking their “show on the road,” and are headed to Ottawa to play on the Canada 150 outdoor rink currently installed on Parliament Hill.

The Braves will be one of 16 pee wee teams playing in the Hockey on the Hill tournament, part of the Ottawa International Hockey Festival, Dec. 28 to 31, on the temporary $5 million rink. Their C3 pee wee Saanich Minor Hockey Association team qualified for the tournament by submitting an energetic 30-second video of team members citing the chance for Victoria players to play outdoors.

Sitting in front of snow, the camera zooms in on Noah Mashford who says, “Welcome to Victoria, we’ve got the best weather in Canada…,” “…Unless you’re a hockey player,” says Sam Spencelayh.

Then the camera pans out to show the snow bank is actually a pile of ice scraped out of Pearkes arena.

More than 300 teams entered the contest to play at OIHF, representing about 6,000 players and officials. There’s also a 16-team girls pee wee tournament (for house level teams).

Teams receive a bursary to offset the cost of travel to Ottawa for each player and coach, a set of commemorative Canada 150/OIHF jerseys for their team, accommodations, complimentary entry into the tournament and local bus service in Ottawa.

reporter@saanichnews.com