"It's a great time, good atmosphere and good competition too," said Bob Rombkowski, who's played in the tournament since its inception. "I can't really describe [the feeling>; I request off of work for the whole weekend, so I just come down here and enjoy it."
For others, it's their first time playing in the tourney. Andrew Tamchyna has never played in this competition before, but he loves the RiverWorks setup, and he's looking forward to a fun-filled weekend.
"Oh, I love it man," he said. "I love playing here, and I love the open air - it's the best."
According to Lauren Christopher, who works for Labatt, there's much more to the weekend than just hockey.
"There's really something for everyone when they come out this weekend," said Christopher. "There's a lot for players and fans alike; we have food, drinks, live music that's going to go on for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we have Sabres game viewings, and then we have Sabres alumni coming on Saturday afternoon. So, really there's just a lot here to keep everybody entertained."