The 2022-23 Prince Albert Northern Bears. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW staff)

By Logan Lehmann

Esso Cup

Excitement building as Northern Bears set to host Esso Cup after three-year postponement

Apr 19, 2023 | 4:00 PM

What was supposed to happen in 2020 is now becoming a reality three years later for a local hockey team.

On Sunday afternoon, the puck will finally drop inside the Art Hauser Centre to kick off the long-awaited and overdue Esso Cup in Prince Albert. After the extended wait, Esso Cup chair Robin Wildey said that it was nice to see everything finally come together.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “The teams are coming in by the end of the week, volunteers are all in place, it’s a nice feeling knowing that something we back started in 2020 is finally going to happen in 2023. It’s a good feeling, we’re excited, the committees excited, I’m excited, we’re just ready to put the puck down.”

Six teams are set to compete in the tournament from across the country, all of whom have had very different paths to get to this point. Some familiar teams are back in the running for the National Championship, including the Northern Bears who were invited to the Esso Cup last year as the hosts in Okotoks, Alta.

Two other teams are making their second consecutive appearance at the tournament, including the Atlantic Region representatives the Subway Northern Selects, and the Pacific representatives the Fraser Valley Rush.

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On top of the three returning clubs, three new ones will be competing for their shot at national gold with the Regina Rebels in the West, the Stoney Creek Sabres with Ontario, and Étoiles de Laurentides-Lanaudière representing Quebec.

Some of the teams just punched their tickets to the tournament as late as Monday night, while some have been prepping for a couple of weeks now. For the Bears, they’ve been practising for the Esso Cup since mid-March where Prince Albert’s head coach Steve Young said that the team has managed to keep in tip-top shape ahead of the games.

“It’s never the same as games but we’ve been able to maintain practices and work on not only learning stuff but trying to get into that high pace when we need them,” he said. “Not the greatest scenario, but it is what it is, and we have to go into this tournament feeling like we deserve to be there.”

“(The other teams) go through a tough grind getting to where they deserve to be,” Young continued. “Our road was a little bit different, so we have to use that as a positive with the understanding that these teams have to travel to P.A. and we don’t have to travel. We have to build on those things and at the same time realize that those teams are championship teams and they’re going to be ready to play.”

Since the Bears were invited to the tournament last year, some of the players already have some of that experience playing in the national spotlight with 12 returning players to the Esso Cup.

As for what the tournament will entail for the fans, Wildey added that there will be something for everyone over the course of the tournament.

“Everyone’s going to have a good time,” he said. “We want to focus on fan experience at the event. It’s going to be the best female hockey from across Canada in our city for the whole entire week. We have in-game hosts, things going on on the ice, local anthem singers. When they come (to the arena), they’re going to enjoy themselves.

Wildey added that on Saturday, there will be a Welcome to Prince Albert event for all the teams from 3-5 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. The event will also host live music by Donny Parenteau, a barbecue courtesy of Mr. Mikes, and 101.5 Beach Radio’s Morning Show Host Teena Monteleone will be the MC of the event.

All money raised from the barbecue will go to female hockey in Prince Albert. Opening ceremonies for the Esso Cup will be taking place the following night on Sunday ahead of the Northern Bears tournament opener at 7 p.m. against the Subway Northern Selects.

A full schedule for the Esso Cup tournament can be found by clicking here.

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logan.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @lloganlehmann