​Long-time volunteers honoured at 38th Kincardine Silver Stick Tournament

Two long-time volunteers with the Kincardine Regional Silver Stick Tournament were honoured at the opening ceremonies of the 38th annual event, Saturday night, at the Davidson Centre in Kincardine.

Charles Liddle has been a dedicated part of the Silver Stick hockey tournament since 2007 when he began helping out in Ripley. Over the years, he has been a familiar and welcoming face at the front table, keeping things running smoothly for players, families and volunteers, alike.

He has spent countless hours in the arena, cheering on his own children, and now his grandchildren, making hockey - and the Silver Stick - an important part of his family and the community.

Terry Van Gaver has been an active coach/volunteer within minor hockey for the past 35 years. Back in the 1980s, he volunteered his time as a coach with the Mooretown Minor Hockey Association, helping out with his boys' teams in whatever role was required.

He then moved on from coaching to join the annual Mooretown Juvenile International Silver Stick Tournament committee. He was an active volunteer for about 20 years, right up until he and his wife, Margaret, moved to Kincardine in 2015.

Both Terry and Margaret have been active members on the Kincardine Regional Silver Stick committee for the past eight years - and counting. Hockey has been a big part of their lives and they truly enjoy giving their time back to the game.

Liddle and Van Gaver dropped the ceremonial puck at the opening of the tournament. Joining them, were Teri Leslie, president of the Kincardine Legion, official sponsor of the Under-13 (U13) B Tier 2 division, first-vice Cathy Alcombrack, and the Colour Party: Shane Hotchkiss, Dave Dechene and Mike Dupuis, with sergeant-at-arms Kirk Rutledge.

MC Gord Kemp thanked all the sponsors, teams, officials and fans for their support of the Silver Stick Regional Tournament. Besides the Legion, the major sponsors include Dewar Industrial Services, Bruce Power, the Power Workers' Union, and Presto Crest.

The opening ceremonies began with members of the Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band leading the dignitaries to the ice surface, and Ruby Wreford singing “O Canada.”

In hockey action, Saturday night, the U15B Tier 2 West Coast Whitecaps (local representative team) downed the South Grey Spartans, 1-0. This was a rather spectacular game as about halfway through the first period, the lights went out at the Davidson Centre. The back-up generator came on but the lights continued to flicker.

Even during the flooding of the ice between the first and second periods, the lights went off a couple of times. The game carried on and eventually, the arena returned to full power, and the Whitecaps took the 1-0 win.

In U15 LL action, the Kincardine Kinucks LL1 team tied Wingham, 3-3, while the LL2 team suffered two losses.

In U13B Tier 2 action, the Whitecaps defeated the Spartans, 5-1, while the U13 LL won, 5-1, against the Owen Sound Junior Attack. The Huron-Bruce Blizzard notched two losses.

Games continued Sunday and into Monday, with the championship finals set for Tuesday at the Davidson Centre in Kincardine. To stay up-to-date on the schedule and scores, visit Kincardine Silver Stick 2025 Schedule.