After a long and close race, Ituna was named the Kraft Hockeyville 2017 runner-up. O’Leary, P.E.I won the first place prize.
However, Karla Sauve of the Hockeyville organizing committee in Ituna said second place was still a victory for the town.
“Everyone is just taking away the positives – I haven’t heard any negativity,” said Sauve. “Everyone is just so proud of how much we’ve accomplished in such a little time. As a community, we pulled together.”
The winner was announced on Saturday evening. Waiting for the results, crowds gathered together in Ituna. Even after they learned they hadn’t won first place, Sauve said everyone still stayed out to celebrate well into the early morning.
As the runner-up, Ituna will still receive $100,000 towards upgrades at the Ituna Arena. Sauve said they’re adding that to their fundraising account, which they will keep building until they have enough for a new arena.
Ituna was picked out of approximately 3,000 towns in Canada to be a top two finalist in the Kraft Hockeyville 2017 competition. Although it’s a small town, it has received huge support from big names.
Among those were former NHL player and Saskatchewanian Jarret Stoll, who tweeted his support for the town. His partner Erin Andrews, who is a well-known television host, showed her support on Twitter as well.
Sauve said recognition from those stars gave them an extra boost of confidence in their race.
“I’m literally getting chills just thinking about it again,” she said. “I wish we could measure the impact of that somehow - the way it rippled out to everybody.”
The victory for O’Leary ensures them $100,000 towards rink upgrades, as well as the opportunity to host a preseason NHL game. The proceeds from that game will also go towards arena upgrades.
As the whole experience winds down, Sauve said they’re so thankful of all the support they received.
“We just really appreciate everybody,” she added.
