McMillen Park Ice Arena and Fort Wayne will host the Silver Stick Mid American Regional over the next two weekends.

This weekend will be the Mite B, Bantam A and B and U-18 B divisions, and Nov. 13-15 will be the Squirt and Pee Wee divisions. There are 63 teams participating, including 10 from Fort Wayne (one Mite, two Squirt, two Pee Wee, three Bantam, two Midget).

This is the eighth consecutive year Fort Wayne has hosted the tournament.

The Mid Am Regional includes teams from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, western Pennsylvania and western West Virginia, though there will be teams from other areas represented, including Omaha, Neb.

There will be about 112 games this weekend and 76 the second, running from 9 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Some of the games next week will be played at Memorial Coliseum.

More than 1,000 players from ages 8 and younger to 18 and younger will participate. All the teams are trying for a spot in Silver Stick International Tournaments later this winter. Last year two Fort Wayne teams advanced.

Admission is free and everyone is welcome to come and watch.

Because there was no competition, the Fort Wayne Phantoms 16 and younger team coach Don Conz was awarded first place and a spot in the international tournament in Pelham, Ontario, in January. About half of this team advanced to last year's international finals.

The first North American finals took place in 1963.

Greg Chess of Fort Wayne is the tournament director. Mitzi Toepfer of Fort Wayne is on the Silver Stick International Board of Directors.