By Robert Frank
www.thesuburban.com
The biggest Canadian Army regiments in Quebec and Alberta will challenge one another for hockey supremacy, during a match at Laval Liberty High School’s outdoor ice rink, Feb 8.
“Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3PPCLI) will be coming here to face off against members of the 4th Battalion of the Royal 22nd Regiment (4R22R),” LLHS organizer Daniel Johnson told The Suburban in an interview.
“Students organized the event,” Johnson added. “They wanted to raise money for Pink in the City, a charity that buys equipment for the breast cancer centre at the Royal Victoria Hospital.”
“The students run the show,” he continued. “They have been planning and practicing for weeks and will execute the event, a daylong tournament which starts at 9 a.m., on the Memorial Rink, located behind the high school.”
About 300 athletes, both military and local, will compete in four separate matches. Johnson said that the military matchup is slated to start at 1 p.m.
“It’s a serious rivalry,” he said. “It’s the only hockey competition between 3PPCLI and 4R22R, and they take seriously which regiment wins. Consequently, the regiments bring their strongest players.”
The event is expected to attract anywhere from 600-1,500 spectators, depending upon the weather Saturday.
In addition to collecting donations for Pink in the City, the students will be serving hot dogs and hamburgers.
“We bring the food and 4R22R will bring the barbecues,” Johnson explained. “The soldiers have offered to cook all the food for us.”
LLHS students adopted 3PPCLI, after an alumnus, Sgt. Christos Karigiannis, a member of 3PPCLI, died in Afghanistan, June 20, 2007.
“It was a call to be visible and present in our community, our country and for other people in the world,” said Johnson, who works as a behaviour technician at LLHS. “Our students went from being apathetic to being inspired by what Sgt. Karigiannis had done. They’re more conscious of being people of action—doers who are always learning how to be better.”
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