Wolseley hoping to score big in Kraft Hockeyville contest

The town of Wolseley has been named one of four finalists for the 18th Kraft Hockeyville competition.

The winner of the national contest will be awarded $250,000 for arena upgrades and will have a chance to host an NHL pre-season game.

Wolseley is up against Enderby, B.C., Cochrane, Alta., and Elliot Lake, Ont., in the final voting.

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If Wolseley wins, it will become the first place in Saskatchewan to win the award — something Mayor Gerald Hill said would be “awesome.”

“We had a lot of people in this community that are volunteers that did a lot of work to get us to this point,” Hill said Monday.

“Wolseley is passionate about hockey and our local arena is what brings us together as fans, friends, family and ultimately as a community — so to keep the game alive in Wolseley, our arena needs a new ice plant.”

Hill said the arena is on Year 44 of a 25-year plant.

Hill praised the efforts of members of Wolseley’s local rink board who have been raising money for the last year towards this project.

He said the community has also done a net-zero feasibility study on the facility to try and reduce its carbon footprint and decrease operational costs while also getting the best equipment.

He said the board also has taken to social media to try to get the word out about the competition.

“I’ll tell you, the community has really rallied behind us. If it wasn’t for these volunteers in our community, we wouldn’t be where we are,” he said.

The three runners-up will be awarded $25,000 each for arena upgrades — which Hill said would also help.

“Let’s bring this thing home to Saskatchewan. I know we can do it,” Hill said. “Saskatchewan’s an awesome place and I see many, many, many things happening here.”

Hill said a win would help bring more attention to Wolseley.

“It’s time to bring it home west and Wolseley is an awesome community as it is,” he said.

“We are growing, we’ve got some local businesses moving in that are cutting edge, we’ve got national attention for Communities in Bloom … so we’re a hidden gem here.”

More information about Wolseley’s bid can be found here.

Voting begins March 29 at 7 a.m. Saskatchewan time and ends March 30 at 3 p.m. While voting is open, people can vote as many times as they want.

The winner is to be announced live on Hockey Night in Canada on the evening of March 30.