The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation Dek Hockey Challenge presented by Highmark will be held Saturday October 1 and Sunday October 2. The youth tournament will feature 39 teams in three age groups (7-9, 10-12 and 13-15). The games will be played at three of the Foundation’s Project Power Play dek rinks in Brookline, Bloomfield and Banksville.

Neighborhoods from throughout Western Pennsylvania are represented, and two teams from South Jersey will participate in the two-day tournament.

“The Penguins Foundation and Highmark have contributed mightily to dek hockey with the construction of Project Power Play rinks throughout Western Pennsylvania, and this tournament is an extension of that,” said tournament director Mark Madden, a radio personality on WXDX-FM. “We’ve got over 350 kids playing dek hockey in one weekend. They each get prizes from the Penguins Foundation and Highmark. There’s competition at the A level and the B level. Something for everybody.”

Project Power Play is a $2.3 million project in which the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and Highmark built 12 dek hockey rinks in the Pittsburgh-area. Completed in 2015, the constructed deks now play home to numerous leagues and pick up teams.

“Programs like Project Power Play not only give young athletes a place to play hockey, but now a place to learn about the game,” said Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation President Dave Soltesz. “Tournaments like these give kids the chance to get out there and compete, and most importantly have fun.”

“The growth of dek hockey in Pittsburgh has been non-stop since Project Power Play kicked off five years ago,” Madden said. “Some dek hockey players become ice hockey players. They all become hockey fans. It’s all part of Pittsburgh being a great hockey town.”

For more information about the inaugural Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation Dek Hockey Challenge, click here.