Wolseley, Sask. looking for go ahead goal in Kraft Hockeyville contest

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

If you have ever been to rural Saskatchewan, chances are you have stopped by the old hockey rink in town, where seemingly everyone gathers even if there isn’t a hockey game on.

The rink in Wolseley Sask., is no different, but the barn is starting to show its age. The town might, however, have a chance for major improvements to the rink that would impact generations of players and families to come.

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

Vance Weber has lived in the community for 15 years, where he fell in love with the environment and people. Weber is also a member of the Wolseley Sportsplex board. He said the rink has always been incredibly special to the community.

“It starts from day one,” Weber explained. “Watching your kids grow up skating on here and I have had four of my kids learn to skate here. But more than that, it’s a sense of community. “It’s a place to gather in those cold winter months when it’s hard to be outside. Get together with your friends and discuss the world’s problems and watch some kids play hockey. It’s a lot of fun.”

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.

For Janelle Bieber and her three kids involved in figure skating and hockey, they spend at least four days a week at the rink.

“We just really want to keep this rink running,” Bieber said. “We might have grandkids some day and we want to keep it going for hockey and skating however we can.”