Thirteen-time champion North Shore Winter Club could be the early pre-tournament favourite to win the 49th annual Bantam Christmas bantam AAA hockey tournament in Burnaby this year.
Without defending tournament champion Burnaby Winter Club in attendance this year, North Shore, winners of four of the last seven competitions and a runner-up last year, should be among the teams still in contention on the final day.
This year half of the 16 teams at the Burnaby tourney will be Tier 1 teams, including Semiahmoo and Cloverdale, both of which have looked good in the early going.
Also among the top flight entries are Langley, Mission, Seafair and host Burnaby Minor.
Vancouver Island's Victoria Racquet Club Kings cannot be discounted, while the Wenatchee Junior Wild from Washington State will have something to prove as the only team from the United States involved this year.
The Tier 2 New Westminster Royals will be making a rare appearance in the annual bantam tourney, while Coquitlam, North Delta, Ridge Meadows, Surrey, Vancouver and South Delta round out the list of entrants.
All games take place at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre and Burnaby Lake arenas from Dec. 27 to 31.
The competition kicks off all day Dec. 27 and 28 with a full slate of round-robin games in four separate divisions.
Elimination playoff games will take place on Dec. 29, with quarter-final and semifinal matchups taking place in the morning and evenings of Dec. 30.
Medal games will be held on Dec. 31 with the consolation final beginning at 9 a.m. and the championship final scheduled to get underway at noon. The closing ceremonies will follow the final.
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