Hockey will take centre stage at Shawnigan Lake School this weekend as it hosts a showcase for the Canadian Sport School Hockey League’s Bantam Prep Division and inaugurates the Charlie Purdey Arena.
Shawnigan’s bantam prep team will kick off the showcase on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. against the Notre Dame Hounds from Wilcox, Sask. The weekend will feature a total of 17 games: five on Friday, seven on Saturday and four on Sunday. Fourteen of the games will be played at Shawnigan’s own arena, including three of Shawnigan’s four matches.
Shawnigan will play Rink Hockey Academy at 3 p.m. on Friday, Notre Dame again at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday, and OHA Edmonton at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. The Saturday game against Notre Dame will be played at Kerry Park Arena.
The Shawnigan bantams, who include local players Seiya Tanaka-Campbell and Will Gurski, have one win and three losses so far this season.
Also on the slate for Friday is the official opening of Charlie Purdey arena, including a ceremonial puck drop at 5:45 p.m. with headmaster David Robertson and board member Andrew Purdey prior to a midget prep game between Shawnigan and Burnaby Winter Club.
The arena, which has been in use since early 2015, has already served as the home facility for Shawnigan’s hockey program, which now includes five teams playing in various divisions of the CSSHL, and was the site of the Vancouver Canucks Development Camp in 2015 and 2016.
The 36,000 square foot structure was custom built by Sprung Performance Arenas, and includes bleachers with a capacity of 400 spectators.
The opening of the Charlie Purdey Arena coincides with Shawnigan’s 100th birthday, and marks just one aspect of $37 million in campus upgrades.