The 13th annual Western Canadian Sledge Hockey tournament is coming up.

Sledge hockey is prominently displayed in the Winter Paralympics, the innovative sport follows many of the same strategies and rules included in ice hockey but played on a sled with ski blades underneath and two hockey sticks which are used to not only pass and shoot the puck but propel and maneuver the sleds. When first starting out the blades are far apart so the player has more stability to not tip over and come closer together as skills advance, making maneuverability faster and easier.

Cindy MacKenzie, Tournament Committee Member, says during the tournament on March 24-26 besides seeing some great hockey you may have an opportunity to test out a sledge yourself, and it is not as easy as you think.

MacKenzie's, son Eric Carvelli is 15 and has been playing sledge hockey for three years. In utero, MacKenzie had a stroke with Eric which left him with Cerebral Palsy, as Eric gained skill his brother Samuel also started to play. In total there are three Cochrane players partaking in the tournament.

MacKenzie adds this tournament wraps up the sledge hockey season which will see roughly 250 players compete.

"We will have teams from Kindersley, from Regina, from Edmonton, as well as, Calgary; there is also different divisions as well, the kids can start to play as young as 5 years old and goes up into adulthood."

The tournament gets underway on Friday (March 24) at the COP WinSport Arenas, more information can be found here.