Eighteen teams from nine schools will "floor" their best Grade 6/7 squads in a hockey extravaganza today.
The Roll-A-Dome will get its hardwood pounded as the School District 57 competitors slap sticks in the third annual Floor Hockey Play Day. As always, it is organized by Southridge elementary school's students, under the leadership of teacher Tim Clough.
"It was pretty successful the past two years," Clough told The Citizen on Sunday, in the final hours before the drop of the felt/leather puck. "My kids run the whole thing. It is a mixture of personal planning and fundraising for them, for in-class activities and field trips. They do everything themselves: the hosting, the officiating, the planning in advance..."
They will also do a little playing of the game. Each match is 20 minutes in duration, four going at a time in the Roll-A-Dome.
"We have modified the rules. It is not traditional hockey rules, it is more like half-court basketball rules, just to keep the flow of the game going and not limiting their time during each game," said Clough.
There is also no championship trophy and schools were asked not to package their best ice hockey players into a hardwood force.
"We keep the competitive edge down," Clough said. "This is for fun. A lot of kids don't have any real contact with the sport of hockey. It is an introduction or a way to have fun in a new way with hockey."
Clough said the staff at the Roll-A-Dome were particularly helpful in the success of the Floor Hockey Play Day in the first two years, and were already stickhandling well for them this year.
Fans of floor hockey and the schools involved can come watch between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
