This weekend marked another successful rec tournament for the Town of Birch Hills. (submitted photo/Town of Birch Hills)

By Rob Mahon

Birch Hills Hockey

Rec tournament draws players and their money into Birch Hills

Mar 13, 2023 | 3:05 PM

The Town of Birch Hills hosted a recreational hockey tournament over the weekend, and with the tournament now finished, it proved to be a success on and off the ice.

Originally, the tournament had been organized by the local rec hockey team but they turned over control of it to a local baseball team for this year. The change in management didn’t seem to change the enthusiasm of the participants.

“All in all, it went really well,” said Zac Pitzel, recreation director for the Town of Birch Hills. “I think everyone enjoyed it and had a good time. I know I did. I was playing with my hometown team, and every game I wasn’t playing in I was reffing, so I was pretty tired at the end of it, but it was good. Everyone had fun, it was a great fundraiser for our ball team. What more could you ask for out of a day?”

Though the town is still following cleaning protocols in their rink and being safe, this was a year where the threat of COVID didn’t loom over (or even cancel) the event as it had over previous winters. Not having to worry as much about a pandemic was a nice change of pace for organizers.

“It’s definitely nice being able to socialize again,” Pitzel said. “That’s a big part of the tournament, being able to socialize with your friends that you’re playing in the tournament with or socializing with people on the other teams.”

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Pitzel is originally from Wynyard, and that was the team he played with for the tournament. While he often plays in a local rec league, his teammates from his hometown had never played against several of these teams before.

“We got the schedule from last year, and basically whoever didn’t play each other last year played each other this year,” Pitzel said. “So teams who hadn’t played in years played each other. It is nice to not have to play the same team every season.”

The tournament was more than just a social outing for the players, however. With teams from out of town spending money on food, drinks, and gas, as well as fans coming to the arena, it proved to be a boost for the local economy.

“This year, throughout the day, I saw more people there than I usually see at it,” Pitzel said. “Throughout the day it’s usually an OK crowd, but this year there were people that didn’t have any connection to anyone playing who came out to watch for maybe a game or two and grabbed some food. That was good to see, and the bar got pretty good use.”

Pitzel added the local Co-Op got some business as well because they ran out of pop by the end of the night.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP