Mayor Bob Kilger and Cornwall City Council will be hosting a reception on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the Cornwall Colts’ recent Central Canada Hockey League championship and to wish the team well before they head out east to compete in the 2013 Fred Page Cup.

Residents are invited to attend the celebration on Sunday from 2:30 pm to 4 pm in the lower level Salons of the Cornwall Civic Complex. Fans are also welcome to come early and watch the Colts practice at the Civic Complex from 1 pm to 2 pm.

“The Colts won the Bogart Cup in Nepean on Wednesday night, so this celebration will give our residents a chance to celebrate the victory with the team in our hometown rink,” said Mayor Bob Kilger. “The Colts have added another great chapter to Cornwall’s rich hockey history, and they are great ambassadors for our City.”

Fans in attendance at the reception will have an opportunity to meet the players and get autographs, see the Bogart Cup, get a souvenir photo and sign a banner that the team will take with them to Truro, Nova Scotia, where they will compete in the Fred Page Cup, the Eastern Canadian Junior A hockey championship.

“We have the best fans in the league and the support of the community this year has been great,” said Colts Head Coach Ian MacInnis. “The players are looking forward to the celebration on Sunday, and it will provide us with some motivation before we head out east.”

The Colts defeated the Nepean Raiders on Wednesday night to win the best-of-seven CCHL Final Series in six games. In the process, they secured a berth in the Fred Page Cup, which features the winners of the CCHL and fellow Junior A leagues from Quebec and the Maritimes, as well as the host team. Other teams competing in the Fred Page Cup this year include Truro, Summerside and Longueil. 

The tournament runs from May 1 to 5, and the winning team advances to the RBC Cup National Junior A Championship, starting May 11 in Summerside.

The Colts will leave for Truro on Monday morning.

In 21 seasons on the ice, the Colts have won five CCHL championships and a Fred Page Cup championship in 2000, and the team has also competed in two RBC Cups.