The 43rd annual Sudbury Silver Stick Hockey tournament will fill rinks, hotels and restaurants with players, parents and fans this weekend.
Starting Dec. 6, 79 teams from across the province, ranging from novice to minor-midget age groups, will inhabit around around the city, including Countryside, Carmichael, Cambrian, McClelland and Walden.
For the first time this year, the tournament committee is introducing a minor-midget division.
"We've always hosted novice A to midget AA," said tournament co-chair Chantal Levesque. "The one division we never hosted was minor-midget A and AA... It's very new and exciting for us. We're actually going to host a few teams from areas we've never had before."
The tournament is set to wrap up Dec. 9 with finals taking place Sunday afternoon at McClelland, Countryside and Carmichael Arenas.
Admission is free for fans. A full schedule of the tournament can be found at www.sudburysilverstick.com.
Winners from the Sudbury Silver Stick tournament will move onto the international level.