Mustangs set to host tourney

The ‘AA’ Atom tournament here this weekend has been circled on the calendars of the local Sunset Ford Country Mustangs for a long time.
“All the parents have worked really hard organizing this,” Mustangs head coach Mark McCaig said. “We want to put on a really good show and want them to have a lot of fun.”
The Mustangs have been on a roll all season, winning three ‘A’ titles and one ‘B’ crown in the four tournaments they’ve played.
McCaig said their biggest threat to stop that streak here this weekend will be the Norwest 11 AA Stars of Thunder Bay.
“We’ve had three really good fast-paced game [against Norwest] and they’ve all been decided by one goal,” he noted.
Eleven of the 16-teams, divided into four pools of four, are from the Lakehead. They include the Elks 10 AA, KC Sabres, Westfort Rangers 11 AA, VP Bearcats, Norwest 10 AA, North End Flames, Westfort 12 AA, West End Bruins, Fort William Hurricanes, and Elks 11 AA.
But McCaig said the other teams from the region—Sioux Lookout, Kenora Thistles, Lake of the Woods (Baudette), and Dryden Rangers—also can make a run for the title.
“We had a real strong interest in people coming to this tournament,” he said. “There’s some very good 10- and 11-year-old players in Northwestern Ontario
“It’s clean hockey, it’s fast,” he added. “On the whole, [people attending] will see some pretty good games.”
Organizers have collected a number of penny table auction prizes, with 25 tickets costing $5. Separate draws for feature prizes include a stereo, a Calgary Flames jersey signed by the whole team, and a players’ only draw for a Gameboy Advance system.
The Mustangs open play tomorrow at 1 p.m. versus the VP Bearcats in Pool ‘C’ action. Opening ceremonies are set for 5 p.m. at the Ice for Kids Arena.
The ‘A’ and ‘B’ finals will be played Sunday.
Weekend passes cost $12 for adults and $7 for children 12 and under.