Lynn-Boucherville exchange tournament off to rousing start

LYNN – Once the puck was dropped at Connery Rink on Friday, Lynn Youth Hockey president Al Donovan could let out a little sigh of relief.A healthy crowd was on hand Friday afternoon as the third annual Boucherville-Lynn Challenge began with an opening ceremony that featured Rene Rancourt of Bruins fame singing the Canadian and American national anthems.Click here to see more pictures from last night’s action”Its going to be a hectic weekend but now the tough stuff is really done,” Donovan said. “Having Rene here for the first time was something a little special for the boys.”Since its inception two years ago, the challenge has become a pretty healthy competion on both American and Canadian soil. The Lynn teams will travel to Quebec on April 15-17 to complete the exchange.”Each year it has really built,” Donovan said. “People talk all year round and it’s the relationships that are formed because of the different environment and cultures.”The Boucherville contengint pulled into town on Friday with five bus loads of players, coaches, parents and siblings that totaled 275 people. The logistical nightmare is getting the players housed and bridging the language barrier of nearly all of the players speaking predominantly French.Yet according to Donovan, the 21st century has helped get the kids who live together past that gap.”It really is a lot of fun,” Donovan said. “Between the games on Xbox, PlayStation and Wii, kids will be kids.”The action really cranks up today with five games on the agenda, capped by the Bantam ‘A’ contest which will precede the St. Mary’s girls hockey game against Hingham at 6:30.”I really think the place will be pretty packed once we get to that last game,” Donovan said. “And with the last game ending at 6:20 and the high school games at 6:30 it should be a great atmosphere.”The Lynn Police escorted the Boucherville buses to the rink when they came into town and a function was held at St. Michael’s Hall celebrating the exchange.