Hockey will be back at Rich Valley Agriplex come this fall, at least if things go to plan.
That is what Val Beauliua told an audience of about 50 people during the Barrhead Minor Hockey Association’s (BMHA) April 24 annual general meeting at the Barrhead Agrena’s Charles Godberson Rotary Room.
On Oct. 11, a day before the hockey season began, the facility’s chiller, a component in the ice plant used to cool the brine that is pumped through the rink’s floor failed.
And unfortunately, the Rich Valley Agricultural Society, which owns and operates the facility did not have the financial ability to spend the funds to repair the unit which depending on the option they chose ranged from $100,000 to upwards of $500,000.
The option they chose was an eight-year-old ice plant from Slave Lake that was only in operation for one year for $144,000 installed. Currently, they have raised about $100,000 and expect they will have the rest by September.
Something Beauliua said wouldn’t have been possible without the help of neighbouring communities, especially Barrhead.
“The Rich Valley Agricultural Society wanted me to come here and formally thank the Barrhead Minor Hockey Association and the Barrhead hockey community for their helping us out with the Kraft Hockeyville competition.”
Kraft Hockeyville is an annual competition sponsored by Kraft Foods, the National Hockey League and the NHL Players’ Association in which communities compete to demonstrate their commitment to the sport of ice hockey. The winning community gets a cash prize of $250,000 dedicated to upgrading their local home arena, as well as the opportunity to host an NHL pre-season game.
Rich Valley was one of the four finalists, which included Wilkie Sask-Can Community Centre in Wilkie, Sask.; the Tom Donovan Arena in Renous, N.B.; and the Centre Sportif Soulanges in Saint-Polycarpe, Que. The winner was determined by an online vote held on March 29 and 30, the winner being announced during the first intermission of the second Hockey Night in Canada game by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
And although they weren’t the grand prize winner, Rich Valley still received $25,000 to put towards the ice plant and $10,000 in hockey equipment for their local players.
“It was a huge undertaking,” Beauliua said of the all-day event held at the Agriplex. “We fed 600 people for breakfast another 1,000 for dinner and we had about 1,200 people in the rink to support us when we were on television.”
She added although they didn’t come away with the grand prize Rich Valley and the users of the ice rink came away winners.
“It really has brought the community together. We have people coming back to the community to see how they can help, whether it be cleaning, fundraising or whatever else they can do,” Beauliua said.
