Michaella Matthies’ decision to spend $20 on some tickets for an Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation’s (EOCF) 50-50 draw proved to be the best $20 she has ever spent.
Matthies had her number drawn and won the $322,945 jackpot prize for the foundation’s 50-50 draw during a game on Jan. 26.
“Things like this don’t happen to me,” Matthies told the Mercury. “I was in shock, completely. And I definitely had to compare the numbers multiple times. There was three of us comparing the numbers, over and over.”
They knew that they had the right numbers, and the realization they had won was stunning.
Matthies is currently residing in Alberta while she attends the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, so she was eligible to purchase tickets.
“I found out bright and early at 8 a.m. (on Jan. 27),” said Matthies. “My dad (Mark) called me bright and early. He was the one who saw it first. We both had the numbers on our phones, and so he called me.”
Since there’s a one-hour difference between Estevan and Edmonton, the phone call woke her up. Then he broke the news to her that one of the 60 tickets she purchased for $20 was drawn.
“I hopped out of bed, and I went to my computer desk, and that’s when all of us started comparing the numbers,” said Matthies.
Matthies plans to share the money with her family, and to pay off student loans that she needed to attend college. She is currently in the second and final year of a program to become a court reporter.
“I plan to save some, probably invest some. I definitely need a new vehicle down the line, so that’s, in the future, a possibility.”
Her career as a court reporter will have a pretty big cost early on, so it’s a relief to have the winnings.
Once the Edmonton Oilers are able to have fans present once again, she looks forward to taking in some games.
Matthies started purchasing tickets through the 50-50 last fall during the Stanley Cup playoffs, when Edmonton was the site of the Stanley Cup playoffs bubble. She thought it was a good idea to be able to purchase tickets online, so she bought tickets a few times.
The bonus, of course, is the money raised through the 50-50 sales will go to a great cause, helping projects in the Edmonton area.
“I have always been a skeptic of 50-50s and lotteries in general, but my dad’s advice is always you can’t win if you don’t play, so I took his advice on that day and I’m glad I did.”
Matthies has been receiving congratulations from people she hasn’t talked to in a while, so it’s nice to have community support and so many people who are happy for her and her family.
Hockey has always been a big part of Matthies’ life as well. Fittingly enough, she is a lifelong fan of the Oilers, and her parents are big Oilers fans, too. And she was a star in the Estevan Minor Hockey Association’s female hockey programs for nearly 10 years.
She hasn’t been able to keep playing while she’s been at NAIT, but she still straps on her skates from time to time, and she still misses playing.
