The 21st Annual Irving Oil Challenge Cup takes place March 29th-April 1st at the Halifax Forum, hosted by the Halifax Accel Major Bantam Hawks. The Irving Cup is the Atlantic Canadian Bantam AAA Championship, and is a signature tournament on the East Coast of Canada.
The tournament used to be known as the Purolator Cup, and for those of us who played hockey in Atlantic Canada, it is hard to believe that the tournament, now known as the Irving Oil Challenge Cup, is in its 21st year. The alumni of the tournament features a who's who of Atlantic Canadian hockey talent, and of course includes Sidney Crosby, who (again of course!) was the top scorer and MVP of the 2001 tournament. Goalline Director of Marketing, Luke Naylor, was incidentally also the top scorer of the tournament and MVP, though his career didn't quite take off like Sid the Kids. "I may not have made the NHL, but as all the members of Goalline Nation can attest to, just the chance to participate in tournaments like these make memories for life, and to this day that tournament was a highlight of my minor hockey experience," notes Naylor.
The host this year, the Halifax Accel Major Bantam Hawks, play in the Nova Scotia Major Bantam Hockey League, a proud member of Goalline Nation. The associations Goalline driven website is an exemplary site in terms of how the NSMBHL organization uses the site, leverages many of the features provided by Goalline, including online registration, and drives traffic through the site by constantly providing updated scoring and great news articles.
Best of luck to the Hawks at this year's tournament, as Atlantic Canada welcomes the top Bantam AAA teams in the region for three days of great hockey action.
~ Editor, Goalline Nation
