OXBOW — The voice on the other end of the line was music to the ears of Lane Nicholls, Oxbow’s rec manager. “Would Oxbow be willing to host a couple of SMAAAHL (Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League) games?”
The Estevan Bears and the Saskatoon Blazers had been scheduled to play a couple of games in Estevan back in November, but those games were postponed. They still had to be played, as they were important for the final standings. But there was a problem – no ice time was available in Estevan for the games to be made up. So, they had to be played elsewhere.
Enter the town of Oxbow and, specifically, whether their arena would be available.
Oxbow is home to some pretty good hockey, but it had been a long time since something the quality of the SMAAAHL had been in town. Nicholls jumped at the opportunity, pulled a few strings, and made it happen.
The Skating Club would have to change their time. They did. The men’s rec team would have to be willing to cancel their game with Alameda. They were.
The stage was set. The two games were scheduled for February 26 and 27. Going into those two games, the Blazers had locked up fourth place in the league, and the Bears were in a tie for eighth. It was an important two-game series for the Estevan team. A point would give them sole possession of seventh place.
They got that point in the first game. After 60 minutes, the score was tied at one, and a five-minute overtime period didn’t provide a winner. A shoot-out was required, and the Blazers won it in the second round. But the overtime loss was enough for the Bears, as it gave them a point and moved them up into seventh place.
The second game was meaningless as far as the standings were concerned. But you’d never know it by the way the players went at it. The lack of scoring in the first game was more than made up for in the second game, with the Blazers coming out on top 7-5.
Over 100 fans showed up for each game, with most of them rooting for the Bears.
Now the playoffs begin. The Blazers will host the Tisdale Trojans, while the Bears will travel to Moose Jaw to play the Warriors.
Nicholls was thrilled with how the community rallied around this significant event. Volunteers came out to run the kitchen and work the clock. The local Lions came forward to make sure the arena bar was open, and a local restaurant, Sandugo’s, stayed open beyond normal hours to make sure the teams had someplace to eat after the games were over.
“It was great for the rink,” he said. “It brought in extra revenue to help upgrade the ice refrigeration unit! Eight hundred thousand dollars is required, and to date, $600,000 has been raised. Those two games helped to close the gap.”
