Sudbury hosts third all-female memorial hockey tournament

Sudbury's third all-female memorial hockey tournament began at the Countryside Arena on Friday morning.

The MK23 Memorial Hockey Tournament is held in honour of Melisa Kingsley, a Lady Wolves player who passed away in 2018 after a battle with cancer.

Kingsley’s No. 23 jersey hangs on the wall at the arena and the tournament is named in her honour.

Coach Madison Laberge, who was Kingsley’s teammate, said the tournament means a lot to those who knew and loved her.

"I think it means a lot to the lady Wolves as an organization and then as someone who was a former teammate of Melissa Kingsley, it also means a lot to all of her friends and family," Laberge said.

"We're such a small town and this tournament allows us to come together and celebrate Melisa Kingsley as a hockey player and a person."

She said there are many words to describe Kingsley.

"She was just so fun-loving, caring and just a goofy person. She would have loved a tournament like this, just having fun with the game of hockey. She grew up playing it and she was really just a natural talent in hockey."

Proceeds from the tournament will go to the Melisa Kingsley Memorial Scholarship, awarded to student-athletes pursuing college or university who share the same dedication and passion for sport that Kingsley did.

Over the course of three days, the tournament will see 25 teams and 370 hockey players from across Ontario, Quebec and the United States, from as far south as Florida.

Tournament participant Alexa Labrecque said the event is a good way to raise awareness of the number of girls who play hockey.

"It's also a good way to raise awareness to the Melisa Kingsley Foundation because she was a really good hockey player and she is a really good role model for young women," Labrecque said.

Participant Reese Williamson said the event is good for the whole community.

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"It's just awesome to see women doing so well in sports and that we can do everything," Williamson said.

"It's great for everyone to be included."

Proceeds will go to the Melisa Kingsley Memorial Scholarship, awarded to student-athletes pursuing college or university who share the same dedication and passion for sport that Kingsley did.

The tournament has raised roughly $35,000 in the last two years, and organizers are hopeful it will raise $50,000 by the end of the weekend.

The tournament wraps up Sunday.