Teams getting on the ice

PHOTO: SANDY EGGLESTON
PHOTO: SANDY EGGLESTON
The Gore Grizzlies under-12 players took part in an tournament in Gore on Sunday.

Thirteen teams from Tekapo, Alexandra, Dunedin and Queenstown took part in the last tournament of the Southern Ice Hockey League series.

The teams were divided into A and B grades.

The Gore Grizzlies B team was coached by Kurt Moyle and managed by his wife Amy and the A team was coached by Paul Claridge and managed by Cara Henderson.

Each team fields three players and a goalkeeper on the ice at a time but every minute a buzzer sounds and the players but not the goalkeeper are replaced with a new set.

The games are eight minutes long and are played on a third of the ice rink.

Mr Moyle said the format of the game was good because it gave the players more time on the ice.

"More hockey in a shorter amount of time for more teams."

Mrs Moyle said the club did not have enough players in the under-15 and under-18 grades but had plenty in the under-12s.

"It’s really growing."