The Sharks will be circling the ice in numbers Wednesday night at Battleford Arena for the organization's annual Alumni Game. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Team and community

AAA Sharks to host annual Alumni Game Wednesday

Dec 21, 2022 | 3:00 PM

The Battlefords AAA Sharks will hold their annual Alumni Game Wednesday night at Battleford Arena, with proceeds in support of the local food bank.

First started in the 2014-15 season, the Sharks’ Alumni Game quickly proved a hit, becoming an annual occurrence ever since.

Former Sharks’ player and head coach Ashley Rafuse was the bench boss with the local female AAA program at the time and continues to be involved with the team’s alumni events today. She said it’s an event many look forward to each year.

“Every time someone new comes out they leave with a smile on their face and hope to return the next year, [and] we’ve had nothing but amazing reviews from everyone that have come in the past,” she said.

“Unfortunately, there are not many opportunities in women’s hockey for most of us, so for some, this is the only game we play all year. We have girls from as far as La Ronge make the trek down to play, moms bring their kids along to watch them play, and university students and last year’s players [come out too], so it’s a fun mix of young and old.”

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The growing popularity of the event is reflected in the number of alumni the game has drawn in recent years. Wednesday’s event is looking to build on their best turnout yet in 2021 when more than 20 alumni of the Sharks’ program came out to take part in the exhibition fun against the current Sharks’ team.

Admission for the Sharks’ Alumni Game is $5 per person, or a non-perishable food item, with 100 percent of all donations going to the local food bank, the Battlefords District Food and Resource Centre.

“It is very important to the entire Sharks organization that we find a way to give back each year and the alumni game gives us a great opportunity to do so,” Rafuse said.

Puck drop for the Alumni game will be at 7 p.m. at Battleford Arena.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1