Valerie G. Barnes Connell Jordan
Northern Advocate
The La Ronge Ice Wolves will have a new home when they take the ice next season.
After much consideration, Northern Lights Hockey Board of Directors, who manage the La Ronge Ice Wolves, announced the team will move to the Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB) facility, the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre (JRMCC) at the end of the season, Randy Johns, Board member and Assistant Governor for the team, said in an interview with the Northern advocate.
The rink surface at the JRMCC is a regulation National Hockey League (NHL) size, and the roof is higher, but are significant for the team.
The decision was made after much “due diligence” involving much discussion with Board members, the community partners, parents, competitors in the league regarding recruitment potential, the fans and other interested folks, Johns said.
“We talked to a lot of people and that’s how we arrived at the decision,” je said.
The Board then, “assessed what would be the team’s best advantage in terms of the future of the hockey team in La Ronge … the Board unanimously decided it was the best to move to the JR.”
Johns also paid tribute to the team’s long-term home, the Mel Hegland Arena in La Ronge.
“We have had over 25 good years at the Mel and it. Was a great experience, but the Mel’s a little past its prime and … it’s a business decision for what is the best interest of the hockey club and keeping Junior A hockey in northern Saskatchewan, so that’s the route we chose,” Johns said.
Kevin Roberts, manager of the JRMCC, made a bid for the team in 2016, which, after not receiving a reply, dropped the invitation, and they expanded for the time.
The team will begin to move over to the JR at the end of this season, Roberts said. The main concerns to accommodate the move in the immediate time.
“We’re going to build a new dressing room for them, that’s probably the most key. We can work with what’s available,” Roberts said.
They are also planning to install a new four-sided score clock, and over the spring and summer, “we’re gong to start working on parking expansion.”
The parking expansion will come mostly at the back of the building. It will mean tearing down the mini golf course, which Roberts said, is not a huge loss, as it has not been used a whole lot.
They have parking at the Ball diamonds and a lot across the street at the highway, that could be used for excess parking.
“We’re newer, we’re more modern,” Roberts said of the move for the team.
The roof is higher, which he said, also makes a difference. “If you ever watch a game at the Mel Hegland, every time the puck hits the room, they have to stop the play. So the higher the roof the more game flow will happen … you don’t have so much whistles because of that.”
The ice surface is bigger. It’s a regulation NHL size.
“The team will probably have to change the way they plan in the just because they’ll have to adjust to the ice surface,” Roberts said.
Looking into the future and talking with an architect, more seating—probably upwards of 500 seats—is in the long-range planning.
In the meantime, the gym and fitness centre in the JR will continue to be open to the public. The players do have access to the fitness centre under the JR sponsorship, he said, and that will continue.
There could be an increase to the walking track as well; it will remain open to the public as well.
