Burnaby, B.C. – More than half of the 16 teams at the third edition of the Pat Quinn Classic U15 Elite Invitational are from outside of the Lower Mainland.
This year’s tournament includes teams from Texas, California, Idaho, Washington, Alberta, Northern B.C. and Vancouver Island.
“I’ve been here since day 1 [of the Pat Quinn Classic],” says Mirsad Mujcin, head coach of the U15 Cariboo Cougars from Prince George. “It’s a pretty ‘hockey culture’ tournament with a lot of big names. It’s great to reunite with coaches I used to play with back in the day.” Three of his Prince George players are first-time participants in this tournament. “This is a big one for them. Their eyes are wide open.” He says his players are getting a great experience at the event. “It comes down to watching good teams compete and what it takes to win. That’s what you gain from a tournament like this.”
This is the second time at the U15 Elite Invitational for the Cougars’ Ryland Lemp (LW). “I think it’s a great tournament. It is well put together with great competition as well.” He appreciates the opportunity to play teams they don’t see in Northern B.C. “It brings a greater work ethic and helps us develop our game a lot.”
This is the second year in a row at the U15 Elite Invitational for the Idaho’s Coeur D’Alene (CDA) Hockey Academy. “It brings talent from California, to the Lower Mainland all the way up to P.G. and Alberta,” says Head Coach Tysen Azevedo. “For us, it’s a local-ish tournament, drivable for us. This gives the kids a variety of competition. And the tournament does a great job for the players being able to be scouted or recruited.”
“It’s a great experience being able to play all of these teams,” says CDA Goalie Bo Toperosky. “It’s really cool to play teams we don’t usually play in our regular league. I’m grateful to have this opportunity.” When learning about Pat Quinn’s commitment to on-and off-ice excellence, Toperosky says that’s the focus of his academy. “It’s incredible. It’s exactly what he wanted. It’s hockey, it’s a school, it’s a workout.”
The Pat Quinn Classic U15 Elite Invitational continues this weekend at the Burnaby Winter Club, Planet Ice Coquitlam and Planet Ice Delta with the finals for the two flights set for Sunday morning at the Burnaby Winter Club, starting at 10 a.m. The schedule and results are available here.
Photos by Manto Nakamura
Story by Sam Corea