The fourth annual Crystal Cup has come to a close and when all was said and done it was a familiar group of faces left at the top. The Griffins defeated last year’s defending champions, the Ace Instruments Ace Holes to take their third Crystal Cup in four years.
Griffins player Todd Alexander said after the final that winning was great but the real winners of the event are the organizers who put on a great show year after year.
“That’s the third one. Winning is obviously the funnest past of anything but this is just an absolutely great tournament,” he stated. “I can’t say enough about the guys that put the tournament on. They’ve been here for a week or two weeks before the event and they’re here for a handful of days after. They do a fabulous job and every year they get better.”
He added how much the Crystal Cup has evolved from the first year of the event, now with live bands and local establishments running the bar just to name a few.
“The first year I think they had one tent and it was about -45 in the finals with the windchill. It’s evolved from that to a whole bunch of tents to kids games,” Alexander said. “They’re trying to get some girls out there to play and the oldtimers, trying to get them going. It’s a great event for everybody to come out and participate in. To watch it grow is awesome. Now there’s trailers lined up everywhere. You don’t even have to play hockey to come out and have a good time.”
Along with Alexander the Griffins consist of Dylan Wellard, Toby Coyle, Dallas Brown, and Darren Goulet.
