The official date set for the 5th annual province-wide Hockey Day in Saskatchewan event was this past Saturday (Jan. 21), and Melville was the host community.
SaskEnergy Hockey Day in Saskatchewan is dedicated to celebrating and promoting the game of hockey throughout the province while also serving to strengthen community rink spirit.
The Saskatchewan Hockey Association (SHA) and SaskEnergy encourage all minor hockey associations to organize an event in their own community the weekend of January 20-22, for children and adults of all ages who share a passion for the game.
Among the local teams that played on Jan. 21 was the Pee Wee Terriers playing in Togo, SK., the Midget AAA Harvest played their season game at the Melville Communiplex against Prince Albert, and the Bredenbury Rink hosted the Major Hockey League all-star games for two different age groups (bantam and midget).
"The crowd was huge," said Harvest rookie forward Lynnden Pastachak, said of his team's game in Melville in which they hosted Prince Albert.
"It was a great atmosphere in Bredenbury," offered Ron Risling, commissioner of Midget hockey, who also added "it's amazing the talent in these smaller communities".
At Bredenbury, four Yorkton players were invited to participate: Martin Pearson, Elias Giannoulis, Dylan Johnson as well as goaltender Brett Kitchen (see picture on this page).
SaskEnergy Hockey Day in Saskatchewan provides associations a platform to fundraise and keep rinks thriving in Saskatchewan communities by making the local arena the main hub of activity for the weekend and generating local support.
In the first four years of the event, communities have raised a total of $250,000.
"The focus of SaskEnergy Hockey Day in Saskatchewan is simple have fun, enjoy a great hockey game, and support your local arena," said Cindy Fenske, SaskEnergy Business Manager.
"Saskatchewan has a history of being 'hockey crazy' and at SaskEnergy, we hope to continue that tradition through the annual success of this event. SaskEnergy is proud to continue their partnership with the SHA."
