An exhibition game between the Prince George Spruce Kings and the Merritt Centennials in Burns Lake has been confirmed, according to Chantal Tom, general manager of the Burns Lake Native Development Corporation (BLNDC).
The highly anticipated game will be held at the Tom Forsyth Memorial Arena on Friday, Aug. 31, 2018.
The teams are expected to arrive on Thursday, Aug. 30, around noon and have a meet and greet with the community. Following a community luncheon, both teams will provide on-ice and off-ice activities for youth, who will also have another opportunity to participate on Friday morning.
“The event will not only be exciting for spectators, it will be an excellent opportunity for local skaters to receive additional training in their hometown,” said Burns Lake Mayor Chris Beach.
The idea of bringing this exhibition game to Burns Lake began when former Lake Babine Nation Chief Wilf Adam had an informal conversation with a Carrier Sekani Family Services employee, Allen Cummins, who had played hockey with the Spruce Kings’ general manager in the past.
“We were throwing ideas of how we could get the Spruce Kings out west,” Adam described. “So before Christmas [of 2017] we had a meeting with [Spruce Kings] general manager and head coach.”
READ MORE: Spruce Kings game in Burns Lake to boost economy: Chief Adam
Earlier this year Burns Lake council threw its support behind earlier-than-usual ice for the exhibition game.
READ MORE: Early ice gets thumbs-up from Burns Lake council
The Tom Forsyth Memorial Arena will be turned on approximately three weeks earlier this year, on Aug. 7, with the ice expected to be ready approximately three weeks after that – just in time for the exhibition game.
Summer weather could be a wild card for the early installation of the ice, however. A village staff report notes that while it usually takes three weeks, arena staff say “there is a risk that if the weather is very hot, timelines may be tight” to meet the proposed early schedule.
The earlier-than-usual ice is costing the village approximately $2400. Council approved the expenditure during budget deliberations this spring, with the additional funding coming from the village’s 2018 general revenue.
Murphy Abraham, one of the organizers of the event, said he hopes the early ice will help bring people together in the community.
“It’s something that will bring in revenue and something that will inspire the kids,” he told Lakes District News.
During a presentation to village council earlier this year, Abraham and Tom said that money raised through ticket sales for the exhibition game would go toward hockey-related expenses for disadvantaged youth.
They also told council that opening the ice by the end of August — instead of late September — could revive Burns Lake’s youth hockey, which has seen participation dwindling in the past few years.
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Furthermore, the earlier ice time could give local kids an extra incentive to stay healthy.
“That will prevent them from falling into drugs and alcohol,” said Abraham, adding that it could also help them fight obesity.
The cost of approximately $10,000 to host the event will be covered by the organizations backing the event – Lake Babine Nation and BLNDC – and their sponsors.
– With files from David Gordon Koch
