Seafair hosting international hockey tournament

Junior scouts are likely to be out in force next month when the Seafair Minor Hockey Association hosts its second annual International Icebreaker tournament Oct. 8 to 11.

More than 550 players from 32 teams will participate in what organizers expect to be one of the elite tournaments of the season. Besides entries from the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island, several U.S. teams are also participating including a club from Ashburn, Virginia in the Bantam A Division. Seafair's Bantam A team was division champion last season.

Teams will also participate in Bantam B, Peewee A and Peewee B divisions, with each club guaranteed five games in four days.

The opening ceremonies are 6 p.m. Oct. 8, at the Richmond Ice Centre's forum rink as Seafair Bantam A's meet Ashburn. The finals in each division are Oct. 11 (Thanksgiving Day).

The Thanksgiving tournament is being expanded to include a Midget A and B flight next year.

Check out the website www.seafairhockey.com for game times.

Race series ends in Richmond

The B.C. Road Racing women's title will be at stake Sunday when the Richmond Kajaks host the final leg of the 14-race series.

Coquitlam's Nancy Tinari (145 points) is seven points ahead of West Vancouver's Cindy O'Krane (138 points) heading into teh Labour Day weekend eight kilometre event, set to start at 8:30 a.m. at the Steveston community centre. The defending series Open and Masters Division winner, Tinari, is coming off a victory in last weekend's race on Bowen Island, but like O'Krane needs to run this Sunday to make the minimum seven race requirement for awards eligibility.

Colin Dignum (173 points) is five points up on Peter Carole (168 points) for the overall men's title.

Thirty points are awarded for a victory, 25 points for second, 20 for third and so on down to one point for a 20th-place finish.