Wilkie hoping for success in Kraft Hockeyville challenge

Jan 16, 2019 | 11:00 AM

Wilkie residents will be facing off with their competitors once again this year as they get ready to participate in the Kraft Hockeyville challenge.

Helen Urlacher, who is spearheading the local effort with Kathy Heilman, said Wilkie’s nomination has been accepted to enter into the competition.

Urlacher said nominations opened Jan. 1, so Wilkie still has another 20-some days to get more nominations.

“We’re going to go for it,” Urlacher said. “We want the $250,000, and we want to be the first Saskatchewan town to win Hockeyville. There’s never been a Saskatchewan winner before.” 

The aim this year is to continue to use the funds to make improvements to the arena.

“We have a lot of repairs and upgrades yet on the rink, so we’re going to go for it again,” Urlacher said.

In 2017 Wilkie won third place or $25,000 in the Hockeyville challenge. Wilkie’s arena was severely damaged in an electrical fire in 2015. With the winnings it was able to make some repairs and renovations to the rink.

Last year Urlacher and Heilman gave their support for Hockeyville to Fernie, B.C., to pay it forward, to help the city which experienced a tragedy in 2017, when three men died as a result of an ammonia leak in the arena.

Now, they are returning their focus to the Wilkie arena again for 2019.

Urlacher said there is a lot more work to be done on the arena.

The $250,000 could go a long way for work on the facility. The glass in the lobby area needs improvements; parts of the ice plant could be upgraded also. As well, some parts of the roof are leaking that need to be repaired. The dressing rooms also need work, and the stands could benefit from an upgrade also. 

Urlacher is asking for people to nominate Wilkie and look online at krafthockeyville.ca for details about the contest and its new scoring procedures.

She said in 2017 Wilkie raised 257 nominations. This year people can post stories and pictures to raise points as well. 

“The more nominations we get, the more chances we have of getting into the finals,” Urlacher said. 

“If (people) have any hockey pictures or videos, they can put that up on their nominations,” she added. “The more pictures the better.”

Urlacher said she and Heilman will also be making videos to promote the town for the contest also.

“It will create some excitement, and get everybody on board for nominations.”  

 

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW