GORE BAY—Organizers are pleased and grateful with the community response to the return of the annual Frosty Cup Benefit Hockey Tournament as they gear up and look forward to this year’s event.
“It is wonderful that our three groups are getting together again to make this tournament a success and the community support is wonderful,” stated Joellen Sloss, a member of the Gore Bay Rotary Club, which along with Royal Canadian Legion Branch (RCL) 514 Gore Bay and the Frosty Cup committee, have worked together to organize this year’s tournament.
The first Frosty Cup benefit hockey tournament was held in 2014 and has been running ever since, except 2020 and 2021, during the pandemic. “This will be the seventh annual Frosty Cup tournament,” said Ms. Sloss.
The tournament will include 16 teams, and once organizers put out notice they were hoping to host the tournament again this year, it took less than a week for the three divisions, eight teams in the men’s open division, four in the ladies’ division, and four in the old-timers division to be filled, said Ms. Sloss.
Ms. Sloss pointed out the Rotary Club will be manning the bar for the weekend tournament, which takes place December 16-18 at the Gore Bay arena. “I’ve been getting a lot of calls from volunteers in the community who are willing to take shifts at the bar at the arena during the weekend. We still have a few openings if people want to help at the bar. The community support is definitely there. I think everyone has been itching to get back to hosting this tournament. The community support has been wonderful.”
The Royal Canadian Legion will be hosting a Frosty Cup dance on the evening of Saturday, December 17 said Ms. Sloss.
“People have been very generous in donating funds toward the ice time at the arena. I understand the sponsorship has been double what it was the last time the tournament was held,” said Ms. Sloss.
Not only will be there be great hockey during the weekend, the proceeds from the tournament and bar at the arena, as well as from the Legion dance are donated to an individual or family in need of some assistance. Ms. Sloss pointed out for this year four individuals will share in the proceeds from the weekend.
As an example of the fantastic community support the Frosty Cup tournament has received, “there was a person who received help a few years ago through the tournament, and their family wanted to give back and are volunteering to help work the bar during the weekend. They want to give back, which is wonderful,” added Ms. Sloss.
The Little Current Lions Club has also announced the return of its fundraising hockey tournament, Winterfest, to be held in Little Current February 3-5.
