Before the Prince Rupert Rampage begin the 2013/2014 Central Interior Hockey League (CIHL) season, they will be hitting the ice this weekend against rivals from across the Northwest for the Northern Challenge Cup.
The action gets underway at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre arena on Friday night when the Rampage take to the ice for the first time against the Terrace River Kings. The puck for that game drops at 6:30 p.m., and Rampage defenceman Derek Baker said the players can't wait to get back into competitive hockey.
"We're really looking forward to getting on the ice and putting all of the pre-season practice from the past several weeks into game situations," he said.
Immediately following the Rampage/Kings game, with a 9:30 p.m. scheduled puck drop, the back-to-back defending CIHL champion Smithers Steelheads will take on the Kitimat Ice Demons.
What time the Rampage hit the ice on Saturday night will depend on how the teams does against Terrace on Friday. The losers of the Saturday night games will face off at 5 p.m. to determine third and fourth place while the Northern Cup champions will be crowned when the winners of the Saturday games face off at 8 p.m.
The last time the Prince Rupert Rampage hosted the Northern Challenge Cup, they won the tournament.
Look for full results from the 2013 Northern Challenge Cup next week in The Northern View.