The Greater Ontario Hockey League’s annual Showcase event will take place at the Woolwich Memorial Centre from September 22 to 24.
Sugar Kings President Laurie Wittie says hosting the Showcase will give the team an opportunity for greater exposure in the community. “They will be able to have a greater sense of the league in general and they will see we are a part of something much larger. They will have an opportunity to see teams from other conferences that we normally wouldn’t play. It’s exciting!”
An event like the Showcase requires a tremendous amount of support, something not lost on Wittie who says they’re pursuing a number of avenues for help. “We have a very strong board of directors and volunteers. We will also be reaching out to other associations such as Woolwich Minor Hockey and the Woolwich Seniors Association for their assistance and support. We have also had some teams in the Midwestern Conference offer their help with timekeeping, scorekeeping, Hockey Tech, and Hockey TV. We are very appreciative of the support.”
Wittie believes hockey fans will enjoy watching games at the Woolwich Memorial Centre. “Our facility is state of the art with two ice pads so we will host teams on both the Dan Snyder rink and the Jim McLeod rink.” She adds some of the team’s key sponsors and local businesses will be involved and will benefit from the three-day event. “There will be a participants package that will include offers to dine at local restaurants, visit local attractions, and we are hoping to have food trucks on site.” There will also be raffles and 50-50 draws and possibly some live music.
The Showcase schedule has not yet been finalized but Wittie is hoping for a daytime game on Friday in order to provide an opportunity for local schools to be involved. “Typically, the home team would like a game in the early evening, but we thought it would be a great opportunity to invite local school kids. We plan to have giveaways for them, and we hope they will be excited by the game and then have their parents bring them to future games this season.”
The 2023 Showcase schedule will be released in the near future.
