PlayOn! Kelowna made a triumphant and rainy return this Saturday in downtown Kelowna on Water Street. Over 151 teams signed up to be a part of this year's event, equalling thousands of players and bringing in many more fans. 

The event has been running for the past 6 years in Kelowna, organizers said the tournament almost didn't happen this year. The community support and roster change made it happen, bringing in almost an additional 100 players from last year. Making the total amount of participants equal to around 1'100.

Photo Credit: KelownaNow

"We want to keep this thing in Kelowna for the foreseeable future and forever if we can," said Organizer Dale Muchowski.

With over 10 rinks to play in, teams were guaranteed at least 3 games, with the potential to go for gold depending on how many wins they had. With such a large number of teams, came great diversity. Players range from age 7 to age 55 and many teams are also co-ed. This event isn't strictly open to just local participants, many came from all throughout British Columbia and some even as far as Washington. 

Photo Credit: KelownaNow

Photo Credit: KelownaNow

A main highlight of the event was the Celebrity game where two teams stacked with hockey sensations and local celebrities went head to head in an intense game. A few of the stars were Mayor, Colin Basran, Curtis Lazar and many of the current Kelowna Rockets. Though the competition was fierce, Lazar's team pulled out ahead with a 12 to 5 win. 

Photo Credit: KelownaNow

Photo Credit: KelownaNow

Photo Credit: KelownaNow

Despite the rain, teams still got to participate in a day of non-stop athletic fun. The schedule for Sunday will be announced following all the games on Saturday and will be available on the PlayOn! website.

Photo Credit: KelownaNow

For more photos of this great event, click here!

KelownaNow takes great pride in supporting the community and in celebrating the events that our readers care about. In partnership with Orchard Ford and Chances, we are hitting the streets in the Now You KNow Events Cruiser to take part in the fantastic events that Kelowna has to offer! 

Keep an eye out for our events team and the Now You KNow Events Cruiser at these great local events to have your photo snapped and posted on KelownaNow.com. We may even have some free swag for you!

If you are hosting a cool event in Kelowna, you can request to have the Now You KNow Events Cruiser and the events team at your event by filling out this online form.