For more than 100 senior ice hockey players, it’s time to face off as Alexandra hosts the annual senior ice hockey tournament, the Erewhon Cup, this weekend.

The cup is one of the oldest sports trophies in New Zealand, dating back to 1938. 

Nine teams will take to the ice with two games on Friday and a full day of pool games on Saturday and Sunday. 

Entries are predominantly from across the Southern Ice Hockey League with players from Central (Alexandra and Queenstown), Otago (Dunedin), Southland (Gore) and Mackenzie district (Tekapo) clubs.

For the first time the tournament has been opened for North Island teams and teams have travelled from Wellington and Auckland to play. 

Alexandra Flames club president Trevor Lawrence said the club would welcome supporters and the games would definitely entertain and the atmosphere would be buzzing.

“The event feels bigger this year… It's a fun family event at a community facility. Local families and players are taking part.

“Dogs are welcome too...We’d love people to show up and enjoy a hockey game.”

The final is Sunday at 2.30pm, and it is free to attend. Each game runs for three 15 minute long periods. 

The Alexandra Flames team is playing at 9.30 and 2.30pm on Saturday, so head on down to catch the excitement and enjoy the ‘fastest game in the world.’

Checking is only allowed in the neutral zone in preliminary rounds, with full-ice contact allowed in the semifinals and finals.

There will also be a fundraising barbecue for the local under 12 team who are travelling to the nationals later this year.

The Erewhon Cup was first contested in 1937 in Opawa, South Canterbury. The tournament predates the formation of the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation in 1986 at Lake Tekapo.

Action in an early Erewhon Cup game, one of our oldest sporting trophies. PHOTO: NZIHF

Ice hockey has been played in Aotearoa for more than 80 years and started in the South Island high country where farmers and workers played on frozen ponds and lakes.

New Zealand’s international debut was at the IIHF D Pool World Championships in Perth, West Australia in 1987 where the team won the bronze medal.

In 2021 almost 1949 players were registered with the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation. 

Results from the 2022 tournament will be updated on www.flamesicehockey.co.nz under the Erehwon cup section.