The Nanaimo Ice Centre will host teams from across B.C. this weekend, for the U15 Tier 2 provincial championships. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

major event

Community effort leads to Nanaimo team hosting U15 hockey provincials

Mar 15, 2025 | 6:28 AM

NANAIMO — A true team effort has helped plan, and will host hundreds of players, parents and team staff over the next three days.

The U15 Tier-2 BC Hockey Championships will be held at the Nanaimo Ice Centre from Saturday, March 15 through Tuesday, March 18 and see seven visiting teams take on the host Nanaimo.

Matt Hughes, director of operations for Nanaimo Minor Hockey, told NanaimoNewsNOW hosting events like this on a near-annual basis is a big challenge, but one which provides amazing opportunities for players.

“The reason we want to step up and try and host one of these operations every year was to give two Island teams a chance to compete in provincials. It’s a really neat opportunity for kids at all levels, and we’re really happy to be able to put it on and the help of our volunteer parents to help put these things together.”

A banquet kicked the event off on Friday, March 14 with around 230 people expected.

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The event is being hosted with strong support from the City of Nanaimo, along with a number of area businesses and hotels.

All of it was put together by volunteers.

“The amount of time that they took out of their their lives to go around town and get donations, get the hotels on board and the restaurants…feeding all the BC Hockey people and the officials throughout the week, it’s a big load to take on, and they’ve done an amazing job,” Hughes said.

The main rink of the Nanaimo Ice Centre is scheduled to host all of the weekend games, with teams from as far away as Cranbrook and Fort St. John competing. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Competition on the ice is expected to be fierce, with all games free and open to the public.

Hughes said some of the visiting teams are sending their best available players.

“If you live in a smaller association, you’re not going to have a tier one program, so there’s going to be some real high level kids here and maybe some future junior hockey players. I know, for our local team, we’ve had kids that have been in minor hockey their whole lives here, and this is their first opportunity to really showcase at an event like this.”

Oceanside is the second Island representative this year, with other teams coming from Delta, Cranbrook, Vernon, Fort St. John, Prince George and Ridge Meadows.

Nanaimo’s opening game is on Saturday at 6 p.m.

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