One of Penrith’s most action-packed and skillful sports, ice hockey, is returning this summer to the Penrith Ice Palace.
The Penrith Phantoms Ice Hockey Club is now on the hunt for local players to be involved in the 2021/22 Seniors Ice Hockey Summer Competition, which kicks off in late November and will run for 14 weeks.
The summer competition, which is being held for the second straight year, is open to men and women aged 18 and above with previous ice hockey experienced desired.
Speaking with the Weekender, Penrith Phantoms Vice President Paul Sobansky said after the winter hockey season was abruptly abandoned due to lockdown, he’s looking forward to welcoming everyone back to the ice soon.
“Now that sport is opening up again, everyone is keen to come back,” he said.
“That’s why we put up the Expression of Interest online recently to see if we can recruit new players for the summer competition, and hopefully they’ll all continue on and play in the main Ice Hockey NSW league next winter.”
The upcoming competition will be staged in-house, with all games set down for Saturdays at Penrith Ice Palace in Jamisontown. So far four teams have been allocated a place in the competition, but the Phantoms are open to expanding if more players sign up.
“It’s not a sport for beginners as such, you have to have a bit of experience because we have a cross-section of players with varying skill levels,” Sobansky said.
“It’s a friendly comp but ice hockey being ice hockey, it can get a bit aggressive at times but everyone generally behaves themselves.”
If you’re keen on putting your skates on again, email your name, date of birth and preferred position to [email protected].
“This is the second year we are running this summer competition, it was quite successful last year,” Sobansky said.
“Everyone is dying to get back on the ice after the long break we’ve had. This is a good opportunity to have some fun and keep your skill level up.”
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender's Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.