Full Moon Face Off draws 51 teams to Paris, Brant County arenas

The Paris U13LL2 Wolfpack pose together after a round robin win on Jan.23 at the Paris Full Moon Face Off tournament. They finished round-robin play with three wins and a tie before falling 5–3 in the semi-finals to the Belmont Rangers, the eventual U13 division champions.

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

The Paris Minor Hockey Association’s inaugural Paris Full Moon Face Off tournament wrapped up Jan. 25 after a busy three-day run that brought 51 house league teams to Brant County from the U11 to U18 levels.

Tegan Blake, Communications and Liaison representative for Paris Minor Hockey, said the weekend went smoothly from an organizational standpoint and has already sparked interest for next year.

“The weekend was a huge success,” Blake said. “Many teams enjoyed it and are looking forward to next year already.”

Coordinating an event of that size required careful scheduling, particularly with 18 teams competing in the U11 division alone. Games were spread across three arenas; the Brant Sports Complex, Burford Arena and the Gaukel Memorial Community Centre in St. George to ensure sufficient ice time for all teams. A small but mighty committee, composed of Blake, Brittany Espinola, Peggy Pawley and Rob Delaronde, spearheaded the inaugural event. 

Representing the host organization, Paris Wolfpack teams delivered several strong performances, including a deep run by the U18LL2 Wolfpack, who advanced to the championship game. Paris reached the final with a 3–1 round-robin record, defeating St. Thomas, Penetang and Delhi before facing North Middlesex in the title game.

After a 6–0 loss to North Middlesex earlier in the tournament, Paris kept the championship close, with the game tied 1–1 late in regulation. North Middlesex scored with 15 seconds remaining to secure a 2–1 win, leaving Paris with a silver-medal finish.

In the U13 division, a the LL2 Wolfpack team advanced to the semifinals after winning three games and tying one in round-robin play. Paris fell 5–3 to the Belmont Rangers, who went on to win the division title.

Blake credited volunteers and community support for keeping the tournament running smoothly across all venues. Board members were on site throughout the weekend, while volunteer high school students staffed coach sign-in desks. Timekeepers were scheduled around their availability, with many also participating as players.

Winter weather created one unexpected challenge, when a team travelling from Owen Sound was unable to reach the tournament for its first game due to road closures. Organizers were able to reschedule the game later that day, so the team did not miss any play.

“This was our inaugural year for the Paris Full Moon Face Off tournament, and we’re looking forward to many years in the future,” Blake said.

Division winners were Mount Brydges Cougars LL3 (red) in U11, Belmont Rangers LL2 in U13, South Bruce Blades in U15 and North Middlesex Jr. Stars in U18.