Dodge Cup comes to Lac St. Louis

Encouraged by the melting snow, many Montrealers are looking forward to dusting off their soccer cleats and baseball mitts in anticipation of summer, but there’s no reason to leave the arena just yet! In fact, with the Lac St. Louis region hosting the Dodge Cup for the first time, there’s more reason than ever to bundle up and get to you local rink to support your favorite minor league team.

The Dodge Cup, Quebec’s year-end provincial tournament, pits regional winners against one another in what is essentially a battle of champions. Teams from all over the province will be coming to the West Island to take part, not only creating a buzz in arenas throughout the region, but also providing a much-needed boost to the local economy.

With players and their families from over 287 teams expected to be in the region, local businesses, especially hotels and restaurants, will be especially busy during the tournament, which takes place between April 8 and 12.

All hockey associations in the Lac St. Louis region will play host one or more levels of competition. Locally, West Island will host the Midget Espoirs; Dollard will host Midget AA; Ile-Bizard will host Midget CC; and Lakeshore will host the Peewee A, Peewee AA and Junior A girls.

Normally only the winners of each region are invited to participate, but as host, both finalists from Lac St. Louis will be allowed to take part. This provides an interesting avenue for some teams to redeem themselves after having their seasons ended in the final, with the added incentive of turning the tables on the teams that ousted them.

Among teams that are especially highly touted are the Atom BB Lakeshore Panthers, ranked #2 in Quebec and competing in Châteauguay; the Peewee BB Lakeshore Panthers, ranked #1 in Quebec and competing in Saint-Laurent; the Bantam AA West Island Royals, ranked #2 in Quebec and competing in LaSalle; and the Junior AA West Island Royals, ranked #2 in Quebec and competing in Beauharnois.

Competition will be fierce, and with visiting teams bringing family and friends to their games, our home teams will need all the support they can get. Please come out and cheer loudly. To see the complete schedules for all leagues, visit www.coupe-dodge.qc.ca