Puck drops for USA-Canada Cup in Kitchener
The 13th edition of the USA-Canada Cup kicked off in Kitchener but this year the local hockey tournament looks different.
The event, hosted by the Waterloo Girls Minor Hockey Association, features teams at the U15, U18 and U22 levels.
Before the pandemic, the event would see hundreds of girls travel from south of the border to play.
This year there are no American teams visiting. Instead, there are 78 Canadian teams from as far as British Columbia.
“Anytime you play a team out of your division. Where you never see them play before. It’s a great opportunity for the kids,” said Chad Campbell, head coach with the KW Rangers.
The Rangers got off to a fast start, taking a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Gloucesters in their first game of the tournament.
"It’s a development year. So I think just everyone is here and wants to get better. So they’re always working hard on and off the ice. Which is good to be around," said team captain Katina Duscio.
The head coach said the tournament is a unique opportunity for players to compete in front of scouts from the NCAA, U SPORTS and Hockey Canada.
"The scouts like it because they’re seeing so many teams over so many days. So they don’t have to travel. They just have to travel to two or three rinks," said Campbell.
15-year-old Kitchener player Caitlin Kraemer is hoping for her big break soon.
"I want to try to go to the states and play D1," Kraemer said.
The tournament runs through Sunday, Dec 5.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.