The 2025 Justin Frampton Memorial Hockey Tournament was the biggest yet. We expanded from four to six teams, which meant a lot of roster changes and two additional sponsors. Organizers of the tournament prioritize sportsmanship, fun, and community building, which is why each year the team representatives sit down and discuss rosters. We want teams to be as equal as we can possibly make them, and ensure all participants have a good time. No one wants to lose 8-0.
This is also a tournament that values accessibility, meaning we have a wide range of talent levels among our participants. This makes roster balancing essential. So an expansion draft took place one Sunday evening, two new teams were formed, additional players were recruited, and a schedule was hatched.
Round robin games were mostly close scores. The only major blowout was two-time defending champions G.F.I.. defeating newcomers Frontier Subsea, two teams that would face off again, in the championship final.
Each playoff game was one to remember. Truly, this tournament could have been won by any of the six teams.
The Mile Zero Ultimate Frisbee team, sponsored by Formac, always comes with speed, athleticism, and passion. They ran up, eventually, against the aforementioned two-time champs, GFI, in the semi-final and lost a very close game, despite an incredible defensive display.
Willadell, led by the tournament’s chief organizer, secured a victory in the quarter finals only to face a rested Frontier Subsea team in the semis, a game that was very close, too.
The Big “R” team, which had a very strong round robin, unfortunately ran into Formac for their first playoff game and were shutout, 2-0.
Custom Residential Concepts, one of the newly formed teams, led the tournament in good times. They truly embodied what the tournament is about. They may not have won games, but they had the most fun.
GFI entered the playoffs undefeated, earning a bye into the semis where they narrowly defeated Formac 1-0. Setting up a rematch with a team they annihilated in the round robin.
Frontier Subsea, the other newly formed team, only won one round robin game, but it was enough to also earn a bye to the semis. And the schedule favoured them. They faced Willadell, earned a 5-2 victory, and then had twenty minutes to prepare for the championship game. Inside that locker room there was plenty of Advil, numbing cream and Gatorade, not to mention laughs.
The final was a tight game. Competitors were tired after a long week of hockey, but they put it all on the line. There were timely saves, blocked shots, lucky bounces, and undisciplined penalties. When the buzzer sounded at the end of the game the score was tied 2-2. Our first ever overtime game to decide who took home the trophy!
Up and down the bench gumption was rallied. Someone was going to score a golden goal here. Someone will be a hero. That someone was Craig Hammond.
A play behind GFI‘s net resulted in a tripping call and on the subsequent powerplay Frontier Subsea moved the puck around the zone until, from the bottom of the faceoff circle, Hammond fired a shot that somehow snuck through, hit a defender’s skate, and narrowly slid into the net.
Said one newly-crowned champion: “I don’t think I’ve ever celebrated a goal with that much genuine joy.”
Suffice to say, even without considering the money raised to support Young Adult Cancer Canada, the tournament was a massive success, thanks to the organizers, the players, and everyone who was involved.
