National Midget Hockey Tournament of Lachute coming up in January

The 39th edition of the National Midget Tournament will be held January 12 to 22, 2017 at the Kevin Lowe/Pierre Pagé Arena in Lachute, as well as at the arena Gilles Lupien of Brownsburg. The official opening will take place on Friday, January 13, 2017 starting at 7:30 pm.

Teams from the regions of Quebec City, Abitibi and Ontario will take part in this tournament. Four categories are expected: eight AA class teams, 10 BB class teams, 12 Class A teams and 10 Class B teams. Please note that the Stars of Lachute will be playing for a third year in the AA and not in The BB. These categories are sponsored by, respectively, Canadian Tire, Orica, Oasis Fences and Alliance Ford. To these are added several other sponsors including: Cascades Group cloth for the opening night, Resto Bar le Caucus, Garage Ultramar, Familiprix, Guillaume Lépine, chiropractor, Fuel Bélanger and Naya.

Larry Weightman, is the president of the tournament for the second year in a row, and Alain Lachance will be the honorary president of this 39th edition. A man of a heart and a passion for hockey, Mr. Lachance has worked at the Lachute Minor Hockey Association for several seasons. He was a volunteer, referee, vice-president of the association from 1994 to 2000, and president of the National Midget Tournament in 1999 and 2000. His spouse, Mrs. Carole Fournier, supported the tournament through its various implications, particularly as Secretary of the TNM.

There will be spaghetti supper fundraisers on Monday, December 12 and Tuesday, December 13, 2016. Tickets are $7 and available from the Novice, Atom, Pee-wee, Bantam and Midget teams of Lachute Minor Hockey. This supper is courtesy of Mr. Georges Aranitis of the Resto bar Top Shot.

To honor the memory of Jérémie Paradis for a third year, the trophy bearing his name will be awarded to one of the Lachute teams that take part in the tournament. The prize will be awarded to the player who stands out for his tenacity and team spirit. All profits generated by this tournament benefit the Lachute Minor Hockey Association.