Hockey is being celebrated with a variety of games and events all this week run by the Kenai Peninsula Hockey Association, the Kenai River Brown Bears and Red Line Sports.
Hockey Week, according to a release from Red Line Sports, is a celebration of hockey to promote the growth of hockey.
This is the second annual Hockey Week to be held on the Kenai Peninsula, as part of USA Hockey’s Hockey Week Across America, which has been held since 2008.
This week there will be a youth hockey tournament featuring teams from the Kenai Peninsula, including athletes from Kenai, Soldotna, Nikiski and Homer.
In addition, there will be three home Brown Bears games this week, hockey themed carnival booths, a free open skate, a spaghetti feed and a skills exhibition.
Monday, the tournament kicked off with two games. These games will continue each day until the end of the competition on Saturday.
The release says that hockey-themed carnival games will be set up at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. It says a variety of games and prizes will be available, and that the booths will be staffed by Brown Bears players. The cost is $1 per game.
The carnival games won’t be offered on Thursday or Friday because the Brown Bears will be playing their three-game series against the Janesville (Wisconsin) Jets. Thursday’s game is at 7 p.m., while the Brown Bears hit the ice at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
On Saturday the action starts at 10:45 a.m. at the Sports Complex, the release says. Before the final match of the youth tournament, a skills competition will be held on the ice for the players — challenging them in speed, dexterity and other skills.
At 5 p.m., a spaghetti feed and awards ceremony will be held. It will end in time for the start of the Brown Bears game that night. The spaghetti feed is a fundraiser for the Brown Bears and costs $5 per person.
Hockey Week USA comes to a close Sunday with a free skate at the rink in Kenai at 12:45 p.m.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
