Kings – Thistles set to renew acquaintances at HNO Districts

HUNDER BAY – Long-time rivals, the Thunder Bay Happy Time Tours under-18 Kings and the Kenora Thistles will renew acquaintances this weekend as the Hockey Northwestern Ontario AAA U-18 District Championship begins Friday at Fort William First Nation Arena.

This best-of-five affair starts Friday with a 7:30 p.m. start at FWFNA.

Thunder Bay will also host Saturday in Game 2, which gets underway at 1:30 p.m.

From there the series shifts to the Kenora Recreation Centre for Game 3, and if necessary, 4 and 5.

Game 3 is scheduled for Friday, March 20 in Kenora and features an 8:30 p.m. ET start.

Should the other matchups be needed, they are slated for Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22 with game time set for 2:30 p.m.

The HNO champion will then advance to the TELUS Cup West Regional, April 2-5, in Virden, Man.

That event will feature the HNO winner along with the champions of the Manitoba and Saskatchewan AAA Midget Hockey Leagues and the host Southwest Cougars.

This year’s TELUS Cup, hosted by the Kings last season, is slated for April 20-26 in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que.