Suburban Ice Macomb and Onyx Host Hockey Nationals

Look out Macomb, Shelby, Utica and Rochester.

Overloaded SUVs, giant equipment bags, sticks and chicks in jerseys are about to converge on the area starting April 1.

Our local venues play host to our country’s best female hockey players as they compete in the 2011 USA Hockey Girls’ and Women’s National Tournaments at and the Onyx Arena during the first two weeks in April.

The Farmington Hills-based Honeybaked Hockey Club won the bid in June 2009 to host the national tournaments, which will feature the girls Tier I and Women’s championships. 

The tournament is good news for girls’ hockey in the area and good news for our local economy.

“We are ecstatic to have been selected to host the 2011 Tier 1 Girls’ and Women’s Nationals,” said Joe Jones, Honeybaked Hockey Club director of hockey. “It will give girls’ and women’s hockey in our area and throughout the state a greater level of exposure and will hopefully help fuel the continued growth of female participation in the sport.”

Jones anticipates more than 3,000 out-of-town guests will visit our area over the next two weeks to enjoy Macomb and Oakland County hotels, restaurants and businesses. Every double-room of 11 local hotels is booked for the two weekends and the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester serves as the tournament’s headquarters. 

“We look forward to providing a memorable and extremely worthwhile experience to everyone involved with the 2011 Nationals, not only for the players, coaches and families, but for area merchants and the metro Detroit business community as well,” Jones said.

The USA Hockey Women’s National Tournament is scheduled for April 1-3 and will include approximately 40 teams competing in four different divisions-30 and over, Senior A, Senior B and Senior C.

April 5-10 will feature the girls’ Tier I national tournament and will draw 48 teams from all over the country to compete in the 12 and under, 14 and under, 16 and under and 19 and under divisions. 

In addition to the hosting the Honeybaked teams, there will be at least one southeast Michigan team participating in each division of the tournaments.

"We are very excited to play host for this national event and look forward to opening our doors to the players, coaches and families,” said Julie Pardowski, Suburban Ice Macomb general manager. “We will work hard to be sure that this is a first-class event and hopefully this will be a step to bringing more tournaments and events to our area.”

Schedules for both tournaments are available at www.usahockey.com.