Rostraver arena in running for $150,000 prize
Hockeyville names winner Saturday
During a youth hockey tournament seven years ago, Rostraver Ice Garden’s roof collapsed under six feet of snow.
Now the Belle Vernon rink is one round of voting away from being named Kraft Hockeyville USA, an honor that comes with a $150,000 prize and a chance to play host to an NHL preseason game.
“We are more than an ice rink,” said Jim Murphy, owner of the rink. “We have all kinds of projects we can complete with the money. This prize would be heavensent.”
Although none of the more than 400 people inside the rink were injured in the 2010 roof collapse — which Murphy said is a “miracle comparable to the plane on the Hudson River” — the facility has been hurting in recent years because so much money was spent repairing the roof.
The $150,000 prize will be used “for a number of muchneeded projects,” including a compressor, floor matting in the lobby, pipes and LED lighting, Murphy said.
The road to the final round has been a long one for Rostraver Ice Garden. Two rounds of judging by a panel whittled nominations for more than 1,800 rinks down to 10, and two rounds of voting has whittled 10 rinks down to two. The other finalist is Bloomington Ice Garden, in Bloomington, Minn., which is representing the competition’s West Region.
The winner will be announced Saturday. The losing rink is guaranteed no worse than the competition’s $75,000 runner-up prize.
Kraft Foods, the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association sponsor the yearly competition. Johnstown’s Cambria County War Memorial Arena won the inaugural competition in 2015 and played host to a preseason game between the Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning on Sept. 29 of that year.
“Kraft Hockeyville USA is a program that celebrates the spirit and passion of hockey communities and helps protect the future of hockey by providing a platform for people to come together, because communities build hockey and hockey builds communities,” Kraft vice president of media and marketing services Magen Hanrahan said in an email Monday.
The Penguins likely would play a preseason game this fall at Rostraver Ice Garden if the rink wins.
“It’s exciting that Rostraver has made it to the finals, and the Penguins are supporting their efforts to be named Kraft Hockeyville USA for 2017,” said Travis Williams, chief operating officer of the Penguins. “We encourage our fans to get behind Rostraver and cast their votes.”
Supporters can vote up to 101 times per day and have until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday to cast those votes. Voting can be done by clicking on the West or East thumbnails on your rink of choice at krafthockeyville.com and entering some personal information. Voters will then reach a page explaining how to vote up to 50 times per day via text, up to 50 times per day online and up to once per day via Twitter.