The 9th edition of the Arno Ekkert Memorial Cup ball hockey tournament in Richmond is set for three weekends this January.
Upwards of a dozen teams are set to compete, with registration still open, said tournament co-founder and organizer Allan Kliewer.
The Arno Cup is steeped in tradition and has become one of Richmond’s most endearing grassroots sporting events. It’s also some of the most competitive ball hockey you’ll find in the Lower Mainland.
It was founded following the death of Arnold Ekkert, a young man who attended Richmond Christian secondary school.
“When he passed away and I got the news I felt we needed to do something, because he was an incredible person. Everyone lost something when Arno died. He was the type of person to have something to remember him by,” said Kliewer.
For nearly a decade the older Millenial crowd from Richmond Christian has invited all sorts of new teams into the tournament, held at Fraserview Mennonite Church. This year is no different and the tournament stands at 10 teams.
Given the group likes hockey, the question begs, why ball hockey in a gym, and not ice hockey?
“We played tournaments at school. It seemed like the tourneys were pretty popular; it may have been a private school thing. Our friend group was into it a lot and it was easier to organize ball hockey in a gym; I didn’t want to get into renting ice surface,” explained Kliewer.
While the tournament is clearly for fun and a means of remembering Ekkert, even if many new teams never knew him, it is nevertheless very competitive.
“It is surprising to me how intense the game play can be; it’s risen so much since it started; the level of play is definitely quite impressive. The teams that keep coming back over the years really appreciate that. And that’s the reason why I keep doing it; everyone appreciates it,” said Kliewer.
Teams comprise of up to 14 players, but only 10 can dress for a game, which is four-on-four action plus a goalie. The six round robin games, plus playoffs, are played on weekends (Jan. 13, 20 and 27). Each game is 20 minutes running time, while playoff games are 30 minutes.
The tournament has strict rules on stick infractions, granted padding is limited for players’ extremities. Any such penalty is an automatic four minutes in the box.
“We are firm on sportsmanship; we don’t allow any roughness or intimidation or shoving,” said Kliewer.
8 teams now officially signed up for the 2018 Arno cup! A big welcome back to the talented Team Terrifying!
— The Arno Cup (@Arno_Cup) December 12, 2017
For the games, the gymnasium is turned into a make-shift ball hockey arena, as Kliewer and other volunteers set up boards in the corners to provide better game flow. There are also mesh nets to protect spectators. Equally impressive is the game experience, which has improved with investments over the years.
“We just invested in a digital scoreboard and flat screen TVs to display the scores,” said Kliewer.
One of the biggest draws is the coveted championship and all-star trophies.
To get in on the action, Kliewer said the $350 team registration ends Dec. 23. Fraserview Mennonite Church is located at 11295 Mellis Drive.
