The annual Port McNeill Mud Bowl will kick off the North Island youth soccer tournament calendar beginning with games tomorrow in Port McNeill and Port Hardy.
The tournament continues throughout Saturday and Sunday at several Port McNeill fields, with prizes for younger players and championships for older age groups contested Sunday afternoon.
Friday evening will feature U15 games on the fields at both Port Hardy Secondary School and North Island Secondary School in Port McNeill.
The tournament moves to Port McNeill for the weekend, with younger groups playing at Sunset Elementary and the U15 and U18 clubs playing at NISS track and at Cheslakees Elementary.
A full concession and baked-goods table will be set up at Sunset Elementary, with rest rooms open to the public.
Slo-pitch tourney
The annual Umpires Icebreaker Classic slo-pitch tournament will bring together North Island squads for the first tournament of the season Friday through Sunday at the Beaver Harbour Park complex in Storey's Beach.
Play begins with games Friday evening and continues throughout Saturday at all three fields. The B and C division finals begin at 12:30 p.m. Sunday and the A final is scheduled for 2 p.m., with prizes to follow.
Summer pucks
A pair of summer hockey clinic will return to Port McNeill's Chilton Regional Arena in July, and registration for both is now being accepted online.
Clayton Stoner, the former Port McNeill Minor Hockey player now skating for the NHL's Minnesota Wild, returns for the second Clayton Stoner Hockey Camp July 3-9. The camp is presented by Victoria-based Progressive Hockey and features goaltender-specific sessions for the North Island's netminders.
Info and registration is available at www.progressivehockey.com.
Lou Lemire returns for the fourth straight year with his Summer Hockey Skills Camp July 9-13, with a traditional youth day camp, an adult skills camp, and an additional specialized shooting/scoring clinic for eligible players registered in the day camp.
Registration fee is $395 until June 1, when it goes up to $425, and includes a camp jersey. The adult skills camp is $150; $170 after May 1, and the specialized shooting/scoring clinic is $40.
Registration and info is available at loulemirehockeycamp.com.
Port McNeill Minor Hockey is again providing $50 rebates on registration to either camp for players who register with the association by June 1.