BY MICHAEL PIASETZKI

The 48th annual Quebec International Peewee Hockey Tournament, often called one of the most difficult amateur puck events in the world, begins tomorrow in Quebec City.

For the sixth time in the past seven years, local teams will be participating in the 11-day festival, which will feature about 2,300 players from 16 countries. Head coach Rod Matheson’s West Island Royals, a powerful squad currently ranked No. 2 in the province, along with Derek Culkin’s hardworking Deux Rives Dauphins have taken up the challenge. The Dauphins begin play Friday evening at the Pepsi Colisée against the Detroit Belle Tire while the Royals face off against South Florida Saturday at 6:30 p.m., also at the Colisée.

As was the case last year when Matheson took a Royals team to Quebec — it lost 3-2 in overtime to the Conquérants Ouest, a club based out of the Eastern Townships in game two to suffer elimination — his troops enter the tournament on a high. They are dominating the Lac St. Louis Hockey Association peewee AA division with a sparkling 13-2-4 record, and recently captured the 31st annual Anjou Peewee Tournament.

“I believe if the kids play as they have been, on the same page, creative yet strong in their own zone and on the fore-check, they can literally beat anybody,” Matheson said. “The issue is whether they will be able to do it for seven games. They’ll try their best, though.”

As will the Dauphins, a well-coached squad under Culkin that has put together a 10-6-3 record-season record based mostly on effort, strong defence along and solid goaltending.

“The tournament will be a great positive environment for the kids,” Culkin said. “It will allow us to hopefully take our team up to the next notch. If we work hard, get some timely goals, anything can happen.”