March 22, 2017

Immediate Release

Grand Falls-Windsor, NL – The 2017 Herder Memorial Championship brought to you by the Telegram opens this Saturday night, March 25th at 7:30 p.m. at the new Dan Cleary Harbour Grace Community Centre in Harbour Grace.  The Harbour Grace Ocean Enterprise Cee Bee Stars winners of the Avalon East Senior Hockey League (AESHL) will be hosting either the three-time defending champs Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts or the Clarenville Caribous of the Central West Senior Hockey League (CWSHL). 

The Stars are coming off a six game final with Northeast Eagles in the AESHL finals last Friday night.  The Cataracts are hosting the Caribous this Friday night in game seven to determine who will represent the CWSHL in the provincial championship the next day.

The best of five series will continue on Sunday, March 26th with a matinee game at 2:00 pm in Harbour Grace.  The series will then shift to the home rink of the Central West League Winner for games three, four and five, if necessary, beginning on Friday, March 31.  If the series is extended beyond three games, game four will be played on Saturday, April 1 and game five on Sunday, April 2.

The Herder Memorial Trophy was first presented by the Evening Telegram Limited in 1935 to honor the hockey playing Herder Family, who founded the Evening Telegram in 1879. The trophy is emblematic of the All Newfoundland Senior Hockey Championship.  The Cee Bees Stars have won eight Herder titles, while the Cataracts have fourteen and the Caribous three. .

When the series opens this weekend, the Stars will have the discretion to add six strengthening players from within their league to enhance the competition.  This is the second year with the winner of both leagues vying for the provincial title after short stint of one provincial league.

The Telegram is a provincial newspaper which is the people’s paper and as title sponsor for the championship is proud to continue supporting senior hockey in the province.

“The Telegram is once again proud to continue its tradition of sponsoring the Herder Memorial Trophy Championship Series”,  said Leo Gosse, Regional Director, Reader Sales and Marketing with the Telegram.”With the league champions from the Avalon East and the Central West leagues set to square off in the final, the battle for Herder supremacy is bound to go down to the wire.  Congratulations and good luck to both teams”.

Tickets for games this weekend will be available starting tomorrow, Thursday, March 23rd at the Dan Cleary Harbour Grace Community Centre box office from 7-9pm, Friday 1-3 pm, Saturday 2-4pm and 6 pm to game time. Sunday the box office will be open at 12 until game time.

Hockey NL will also be having live scoring, statistics and news. Hockey fans can follow on http://www.theherder.ca/ and via twitter @HkyNL

For more information, please contact:

Craig Tulk

Executive Director, Hockey NL

P.O. Box 176

Grand Falls-Windsor, NL

A2A 2J4

[email protected]

709-489-5512 office

709-486-0442  cell

709-489-2273 fax