Havre hosts state squirt hockey tourney

The Havre Ice Dome will host this weekend's Montana Amateur Hockey Association's Squirt B state tournament.

The tournament will feature six teams from around the state including the Havre Ice Hawk squirt team.

Havre enters the tournament as the number one seed and a favorite to win the tournament. But according to squirt manager and tournament director Dan Sinclair, the Ice Hawks will still have plenty of competition.

"It's going to be a really close tournament," Sinclair said. "We have beaten all of these teams at some point during the season, but they weren't runaway games."

The Billings Bulls and the Missoula Bruins, the number two and three seeds, also have strong teams and have beaten Havre this season.

The squirt division of hockey is for kids age 9-10 and because of that the focus isn't on winning as much as the spirit of compeition and sportsmanship.

"We want to keep it as fun as possible," Sinclair said. "This is really about teaching kids sportmanship at a young age. We want to make everything fun, safe and fair for the kids."

The Ice Hawks open the tournament today at 2:20 p.m. against the sixth-seeded Gallatin Valley Freeze. The Ice Hawks will hit the ice again tonight at 7:40 p.m. against the Richland Rangers.

Saturday's action will feature teams semifinal games while Sunday will have the challenge, consolation and championship game.

Admission for the tournament is $10 for a family weekend pass, $3 for an individaul day pass, $1.50 for students 18 and under and free for children under 12.