January 30, 2012

2012 Spud AAA Minor Hockey Tournament

The 2012 edition of the Spud is set to begin in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. 73 teams from around the Maritimes will be competing in 5 divisions. The Novice division will feature 8 teams from the host province. Pee Wee division has 24 teams in 6 divisions and the Bantam division has 19 teams in 5 divisions.

Midget AAA will be the focus for many, as 22 teams in 5 divisions are set to challenge for the title. Defending champion and host Charlottetown Abbies will be looking to fend off some serious contenders. The Kenn Valley Spartans from the New Brunswick Midget AAA League will be looking to avenge a disappointing Monctonian tournament in November. The Spartans lead their league with a 18-2-1 win-loss record and also have top scorer Paul Gulliver. Gulliver's stats are very impressive with 29 goals and 65 points in 20 games.

The Bedford Blues wrapped up their regular season undefeated with a 21-0-3 record and appear to be the biggest threat coming out of Nova Scotia. PEI's Mid-Isle Matrix will be looking to improve on last years runner up finish and with a disappointing loss in Novembers Monctonian they should be a motivated bunch. Jordan Mayhew's 57 points in 27 games leads the PEI league so look for him to be a difference maker.

The action gets underway Thursday February 2nd and continues through the weekend. Playoff games will begin Saturday evening and wrap up on Sunday Afternoon. The CARI complex on the campass of UPEI is tournament central and all of the rinks in Charlottetown and surrounding areas will host games.

- Mike Lord

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