Written By Brian Lockhart

Hundreds of young hockey players, friends, and family came to the Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex on Saturday, Nov. 18, to be a part of Hockey Day in Shelburne.

The event featured a full day of hockey from early morning to evening. 

It kicked off on Friday evening with a U15 rep game followed by a U18 LL game.

On Saturday, there were 15 games on the schedule covering teams from U7 right up to U18.

Visiting teams came from around the region, including Honeywood, South Grey, Orangeville, Collingwood, Clearview, South Muskoka, Orillia, and Penetang.

The event was a fundraiser for the Hockey Association and featured a silent auction in the lobby of the arena.

“Today is Hockey Day in Shelburne, and our purpose is to host as many home games as we possibly can,” explained Shelburne Minor Hockey Vice President Lisa Hutch-Conn. “We had two games last night and there is 15 games today. For the younger kids U9 and downs, it's half ice, so we're able to host four teams at a time. The older teams have full ice. There's 200 kids from Shelburne here. We have teams from all over.”

Several local businesses stepped up to sponsor the event.

“We're grateful to the Tipsy Fox in Shelburne for sponsoring all our ‘player of the game' [rewards]. They donated a $15 gift certificate for each player of the game. We have three sponsors for the fish toss. Shelburne Optometry, Shelburne Family Chiropractic, and Main Street Family Dental are all sponsors.”

The silent auction featured an exciting line-up of fun and valuable items or useful services.

“All of the teams were responsible for bringing in a gift, of which 100 per cent of the proceeds are brought back into our organization for fundraising. Whether it's for power skating costs, or actual ice time, it's a way to give back to our teams.”

Games were non-stop all day, and big crowds were in attendance watching all the action.