By Hockey Saskatchewan

HILLMOND, Sask. - This year’s Hockey Day in Saskatchewan celebration was held in zone seven in the hamlet of Hillmond from January 16th to 19th, 2020. The annual event is a way for minor hockey and the local community to raise funds towards a capital project for a new community rink or renovate their existing facility.

In Hillmond, it was well known that the 32-year old’ Hillmond Redden Arena was in desperate need of new rink boards and so the host committee set out a goal to raise $100,000 towards the roughly $200,000 cost that was needed for this upgrade. Following the event, the Hillmond host committee was excited to announce a profit of $207,000 during the four-day event. That amount is the largest ever raised during Hockey Day in Saskatchewan in its twelve years of existence.

"Hosting this event has made a world of difference for our arena and our pride in our community. Thank you to our many sponsors for their continued support, and to everyone who attended and contributed to this historic weekend in Hillmond!” - Hillmond Host Committee, Jill McKenzie

The hamlet of Hillmond and surrounding communities were thrilled to kick-off the event with the Wade Redden and Friends celebrity game on the Thursday night. The game featured ex-NHLers Marty McSorley, Wade Redden and Lance Ward at the Hillmond Redden Arena where the Hillmond Hitmen and Lloydminster Border King Alumni took to the ice.

On Friday, a sold-out prime rib dinner at the Lloydminster Stockade took place with Marty McSorley, Wade Redden and SHA's own Kelly McClintock taking part in a Q and A with host Greg Buchanan. This was followed up a live auction and performances by Jordyn Pollard and then The Dirt Rich Band.

On Saturday, the littlest rink users took part in the SHA Cross-Ice Jamboree which featured players from Hillmond and Paradise Hill. The much anticipated triple-header followed with the Saskatchewan Female "AAA" Hockey League's Battlefords Sharks versus the Swift Current Wildcats. Swift Current came out on top by a score of 4-1. On the male side, the Saskatchewan Midget "AAA" Hockey League's Notre Dame Hounds then defeated the Battlefords Stars, 5-2. The final game of the night was the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League matchup between the Battlefords North Stars and the Notre Dame Hounds. A back and forth affair lead to a 3-2 win for the North Stars.

Sunday was a full-day line-up of Hillmond Minor Hockey games, from Novice all the way up to the senior men’s Hillmond Hitmen. Friends and neighbors gathered for the day at the arena to enjoy the food and fellowship of a weekend well-planned and executed. This was an event that will be remembered in Hillmond for a very long time.

The 2020 event marked the 13th host community for Hockey Day in Saskatchewan since its inception in 2008. Hockey Day in Saskatchewan is awarded to a different community each year to help raise funds for the local arena. The event is a partnership between the Saskatchewan Hockey Association and the host community.