Helen Urlacher (shown) and Kathy Heilman of Wilkie are asking people to vote for Pense so a Saskatchewan community has a chance to win the Kraft Hockeyville competition on now. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff) 

By Angela Brown

Voting opens

Wilkie asks people to vote for Pense in Kraft Hockeyville challenge

Aug 14, 2020 | 1:58 PM

Supporters from Wilkie are encouraging everyone to vote for Pense in the Kraft Hockeyville challenge, so the community has a chance to win the grand prize of $250,000 in arena upgrades.

Wilkie community residents and councillors Kathy Heilman and Helen Urlacher hope to see a Saskatchewan town win the top prize this year.

“We are trying to get as much support as we can for Pense, Saskatchewan, who is the only team in Western Canada that is in the top four bidding for Hockeyville 2020,” Heilman said. “Saskatchewan has never won Kraft Hockeyville. Which is kind of odd when you consider the number of NHL hockey players that have come out of this province — some of them extremely good like Gordie Howe.”

Heilman said Wilkie came in the top four last year but didn’t win the competition finals. Since Wilkie took a break from running in the event this year, Heilman said she wanted to give her support to Pense instead.

People can vote as many times as they wish at the Kraft Hockeyville website. Voting is open today and tomorrow. The winner will be announced after the voting concludes at 6 p.m., Aug. 15.

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Competing with Pense in the finals are communities from PEI, Newfoundland and Quebec.

Graeme Crosbie is the coordinator of Pense’s effort to gain the most votes in the Hockeyville competition. He is also a member of the rink board in Pense.

If Pense wins the competition the community will use the funds to replace the Pense Memorial Rink’s brine piping system underneath the ice, which keeps it frozen.

“It’s 30 years old; it’s past its life expectancy and we have had to do some patchwork on it for the last few years,” Crosbie said.

The estimate to replace the whole piping system is about $300,000.

The community raised $106,000 in local fundraising in the past year and a half, but it is still short of its goal.

“If we win it, then we are over the top and can replace that piping system right away, which would be great,” Crosbie said. “We don’t want to keep going year by year and risk having something major happen, and then lose a full season. We just want to get it done right away and put our minds to rest.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW