Vancouver's LGBTQ+ Hockey Association
The Pacific Cup is an LGBTQ+ adult hockey tournament hosted by the Cutting Edges Hockey Association, bringing players and supporters together over Vancouver Pride Weekend. Teams compete across a round-robin stage and championship final, while off the ice, the weekend comes alive with a welcome party and awards banquet. Come for the hockey, stay for the community.
Tournament Overview
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4 guaranteed games​
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All games will take place over two days
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One game in the evening of Friday, Jul 31 (after 7 PM)
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Three games on Saturday, Aug 1 (8 AM through 5 PM)
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Awards Banquet Saturday evening (at 6 PM)​
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​​Arena: Scotia Barn in Burnaby (formerly known as 8-Rinks)
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Draft-Style Tournament
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One Guaranteed Buddy: You may select one Buddy of relatively similar skill level to be placed on your team
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You may request up to two other friends to be on your team. These are not guaranteed
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Fair Play and Skill Balancing: our priority is to ensure each team is competitive in their division and has FUN!
Arena Location
Scotia Barn, a Canlan Sports community is a state-of-the-art multi-purpose recreation and entertainment facility featuring 7 NHL-sized rinks and 1 indoor soccer field. The sports complex also includes an event room, a skate shop, as well as a Wild Wing restaurant. This sports complex is one of the largest arena complexes in the world, conveniently located beside the Trans Canada highway in Burnaby BC.
Scotia Barn
6501 Sprott St
Burnaby, BC V5B 3B8
Accommodations
We’ve partnered with two hotels to get you discounted rates for your stay in Vancouver.
Sandman Suites Vancouver - Davie St.
Sandman Suites is situated right in the heart of Downtown Vancouver and will keep you close to all the Pride festivities when you’re not on the ice.​
Team Draft Format
One Division
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1. A cumulative team skill rating (TSR) for each team will be maintained during each round of the draft.
2. Players will be sorted by position (Forward, Defender, and Goalie) and arranged in descending order by self-evaluated skill level (6 → 1).
3. Each team will be assigned one (1) goalie, along with their requested Buddy (if applicable).
4. Starting with the team with the lowest TSR, one (1) Defender will be assigned to each team, starting from highest rating (6) to lowest (1), along with their requested Buddy (if applicable)
5. Step 4 will be repeated until all Defenders have been assigned to a team.
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a. Where possible, Wishlist groups will be placed together as long as it maintains overall TSR balance.
6. Starting with the team with the lowest TSR, one (1) Forward will be assigned to each team, starting from the highest rating (6) to lowest (1), along with their requested Buddy (if applicable).
7. Step 6 will be repeated until all Forwards have been assigned to a team.
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a. Where possible, Wishlist groups will be placed together as long as it maintains overall TSR balance.
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8. After all players have been assigned to a team, the draft committee will evaluate the teams and make adjustments as necessary to maintain balance and honour as many Wishlist group requests as possible.
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Two Divisions
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Division Creation
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1. Players will be arranged in descending order by self-evaluated skill level (6 → 1).
2. Players will be divided into two divisions based on self-evaluated skill level (i.e. the top rated 50% of players will be placed into Division 1 and the bottom 50% placed into Division 2).
a. Buddy requests will be honoured during Division creation as long as Buddies are of relatively similar self-evaluated skill level (see Team Placement & "Buddy" Requests section). In the rare occasion where two Buddies are of similar skill level (i.e 3 and 4) but would be placed into different divisions based on the 50% upper half and 50% lower half rule, then the lower-rated player will be brought up into the higher rated division.
b. Where possible (I.e. similarly rated players around the dividing point (~3 player rating), players will be placed in the division that aligns with their preference selected during registration; competitive vs. recreational.
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Team Assignments Within Each Division
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1. A cumulative team skill rating (TSR) for each team will be maintained during each round of the draft.
2. Players will be sorted by position (Forward, Defender, and Goalie) and arranged in descending order by self-evaluated skill level (6 → 1).
3. Each team will be assigned one (1) goalie, along with their requested Buddy (if applicable).
4. Starting with the team with the lowest TSR, one (1) Defender will be assigned to each team, starting from highest rating (6) to lowest (1), along with their requested Buddy (if applicable).
5. Step 4 will be repeated until all Defenders have been assigned to a team.
a. Where possible, Wishlist groups will be placed together as long as it maintains overall TSR balance.
6. Starting with the team with the lowest TSR, one (1) Forward will be assigned to each team, starting from the highest rating (6) to lowest (1), along with their requested Buddy (if applicable).
7. Step 6 will be repeated until all Forwards have been assigned to a team.
a. Where possible, Wishlist groups will be placed together as long as it maintains overall TSR balance.
8. After all players have been assigned to a team, the draft committee will evaluate the teams and make adjustments as necessary to maintain balance and honour as many Wishlist group requests as possible.
Team Placement & "Buddy" Requests
To balance competitive play with our goal of building a strong queer hockey community, we will be using a Modified Pod / Found Family format. This allows you to stay connected with your "found family" while meeting new teammates from Vancouver and beyond!​
1. The Guaranteed Buddy (The "Pair")
During registration, each player may select one (1) other player to be their “Buddy” who will be guaranteed to be placed on the same team.
Important! How it works:
The Buddy selection must be reciprocal: Both you and your Buddy must list each other’s names on your respective registration forms and they must match exactly (first and last name), i.e. Player A lists Player B as their Buddy, and Player B lists Player A as their Buddy.
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If the requests do not match (i.e. Player A requests Player B, but Player B requests Player C, and Player C requests Player A) the guarantee is void and no Buddy pairing will be guaranteed for those players.
Your selected Buddy must be of relatively similar skill level to yourself so that both players are able to play in the same division.
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For example, a player who is rated 1-Beginner/Novice cannot select a player rated 5-Advanced to be their Buddy, as both players would not be appropriate for the same division. This is done to ensure each player is placed into a division appropriate for their skill level and that overall teams remain balanced.
2. Additional Teammate Preferences (i.e. the "Wishlist")
In addition to the guaranteed Buddy, each player may list up to two (2) additional players with whom they would also like to play.
Important! How it works:
These are not guaranteed placements, but our draft committee will do our absolute best to keep these "Wishlist" groups together on the same team or in the same division when building rosters.
3. Fair Play & Skill Balancing
The tournament committee reserves the right to split any requested pair or group if it creates a significant skill imbalance in a division. Our priority is ensuring every team has a fair shot at a fun, competitive weekend!
Rules
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All general matters pertaining to the Pacific Cup Hockey Tournament should be directed to the Tournament Directors.
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By playing in the Pacific Cup Hockey Tournament, all players hereby agree to adhere to the Pacific Cup Affirmation of Trans and Gender Diverse Rights and the Participant Conduct Policy, as well as Hockey Canada’s Code of Conduct.
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At time of tournament, all players must be at least 19 years of age and have all fees fully paid prior to any games.
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All players must be fully registered with the tournament, with their respective team.
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The current rules issued by Hockey Canada provide the foundation for game rules in the Pacific Cup. In the event of a discrepancy between Hockey Canada rules and tournament specific rules, then tournament rules will take precedence, with final assessment made by the Tournament Directors.
Equipment Requirements
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All players are required to wear full player equipment. Shoulder pads and neck guards are optional but highly recommended.
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Players and on-ice officials are required to wear at least half a shield. Helmet chin straps must be properly fastened by both players and on-ice officials.