Springfield Awarded National Hockey Tournament

A national championship will be decided in Missouri. USA Hockey has awarded Springfield with the 2005 17-and-under National Junior Hockey Tournament. Jordan Valley Ice Park will house the event. The ice park, which is less than two years old, is a state of the art facility with two rinks. Springfield beat out cities like Philadelphia, San Diego and Anchorage, Alaska. While Springfield may seem like an odd choice to host a hockey tournament, the city was picked because USA Hockey was impressed with Jordan Valley Ice Park. They are also interested in reaching new hockey markets and Springfield’s central location made them attractive as well. Springfield’s junior team will have an automatic bid to the tournament. 12 teams will compete for the title.