Memorial Marauders captain Dovi Walker says there’s a lot of excitement around the school heading into the annual Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold Hockey Tournament, an energy the host side hopes to harness on the ice.

“There are a lot of fans there and if our team makes a good play or we score, the fans go crazy,” said the 17-year-old forward from Sydney Mines. The Grade 12 student will play in his third and final Green and Gold.

“It’s a great feeling going out there and having the fans supporting your school and it’s a great turnout.”

The four Cape Breton High School Hockey League teams open play Thursday at the Emera Centre Northside. The Riverview Redmen and Glace Bay Panthers kick things off at 6 p.m., followed by the host Marauders versus the Sydney Academy Wildcats at 7:45 p.m.

“We have a good shot at doing well in the tournament,” said Walker. “The other teams are definitely strong but I think if our team comes together, we’ll turn out OK.”

This year will feature eight teams competing for the tournament title, up from only six last season. The host Marauders will play in the Gold Division along with Sydney Academy, SAERC Saints of Port Hawkesbury and J.L. Ilsley Judges of Halifax. The Green Division features the two-time defending tournament champion Redmen, Glace Bay, Dalbrae Dragons of Mabou and the Prince Andrew Panthers of Dartmouth.

It’s only early in the local league’s season, but the Marauders enter the tournament with one victory in their first four games. Memorial head coach Terry Duff said with the Green and Gold being so early in the campaign, it’s a good way to get into gear.

His squad has eight Grade 12 players looking to make an impact in their final shot at tournament gold.

“You get to know what type of game you need to play against the different teams and you have your own team identity,” said Duff. “We don’t have the lineup to play a run-and-gun style with other strong teams, so our team defence, we have to concentrate on that.

“This tournament will be a test for them once the pace of the play gets a little higher, how they’re going to adjust to it.”

The top two teams in each division move on to the semifinals on Saturday night at 6:15 p.m. and 8 p.m. The winners move on to the championship game at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

2019 Mae Kibyuk Memorial

Green and Gold Hockey Tournament

Emera Centre Northside, North Sydney

Gold Division: Memorial Marauders, Sydney Academy Wildcats, SAERC Saints, J.L. Ilsley Judges

Green Division: Riverview Redmen, Glace Bay Panthers, Dalbrae Dragons, Prince Andrew Panthers

Thursday

• 6 p.m. – Riverview vs. Glace Bay
• 7:45 p.m. – Memorial vs. Sydney Academy

Friday

• 10:45 a.m. – Dalbrae vs. Riverview
• 12:30 p.m. – Sydney Academy vs. SAERC
• 2:15 p.m. – Prince Andrew vs. Dalbrae
• 4 p.m. – J.L. Ilsley vs. SAERC
• 5:45 p.m. – Glace Bay vs. Prince Andrew
• 7:30 p.m. – Memorial vs. J.L. Ilsley

Saturday

• 9:30 a.m. - Prince Andrew vs. Riverview
• 11:15 a.m. – Sydney Academy vs. J.L. Ilsley
• 1 p.m. – Memorial vs. SAERC
• 2:45 p.m. – Glace Bay vs. Dalbrae
• 6:15 p.m. – 1st Gold vs. 2nd Green
• 8 p.m. – 1st Green vs. 2nd Gold

Sunday

• 11 a.m. - Championship