The Surrey Firefighters are the winners of the 14th annual Sledge Hockey Showdown. 

SportAbility hosted the tournament to raise awareness about local and provincial programs and celebrate the para hockey community in British Columbia. 

The Sledge Hockey Showdown was a one-day 3-on-3 round-robin tournament at Surrey Sport & Leisure Complex in which six teams of local community groups competed against each other while raising money for BC Para Ice Hockey's growth and development. Around 60 people participated in this year's tournament. 

Donna Cumming, executive director for SportAbility, said it raised a "Sledge Hockey Showdown record of nearly $18,000."

"The funds that we raised from this tournament go towards, you know, ice time, equipment, all those different things, like even starting up new programs in different places," Cumming said. "So it's a really great way to just support our programs." 

SportAbility's main para ice hockey program runs out of Surrey on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Athletes from its program often come and coach the teams at the Showdown. 

"So it's kind of a nice community connection where we've got a lot of players who are coming out and giving back to the community," Cummings said. 

Para ice hockey, formerly known as sledge hockey, is open to people with physical disabilities and able-bodied people. It is an adapted version of stand-up hockey in which players sit in "specially designed sleds where players move around on the ice using two sticks, which have a spike-end for pushing and a blade-end for shooting," reads a post on .

Aidan Battley, board secretary for SportAbility, said the tournament is a great community event that brings people together. "People from the corporate world, parents, athletes and everyone kind of has a part to play in making this a success and promoting our sports to the broader community," Battley said. 

Battley's message to the public is, "Everyone deserves to play sport." 

"This is a fantastic opportunity to get involved, and if you have anyone who would like to play, get involved in a sport, volunteer, or be an officiant, we're always looking for corporate partners. Please reach out and let us know." 

For more information, visit .

-With files from Tricia Weel