Dudley Hewitt Cup gets underway in Fort Frances

Hockey fans in Fort Frances, Ont. will be able to take in some high-level Junior A hockey, beginning Tuesday April 28.

The Fort Frances Lakers are hosting the Dudley Hewitt Cup, which is the Junior A hockey championship tournament for teams from central Canada.

Larry Patrick, the chairman of the event, said the four teams taking part from the Ontario Junior Hockey League, Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League and Superior International Junior Hockey League are playing in hopes of advancing to the Canadian championships being held in Portage la Prairie, MB.

"Pride, bragging rights, they want to showcase their hockey skills set," he said.

Patrick said many players also view the week-long tournament as a chance to further their hockey career.

"They keep coming back to that because there are scouts in the audience and some of these junior a hockey players want to definitely get some higher level hockey out of this, " 

Two teams from northwestern Ontario, the Fort Frances Lakers and the Dryden Ice Dogs, are taking part.

Patrick said he hopes to attract 600 - 700 spectators for games during the day, and over 900 fans for evening games.

He said many volunteers have put in countless hours co-ordinating logistics to get the teams to Fort Frances. 

Patrick said the municipality has also contributed significantly to the tournament, by sponsoring the event and donating ice time.