UNITY — The evening of Dec. 12 capped off a flurry of rigorous organizing and planning by the committee, who came together in a short time to pull of an event off this magnitude.
“We’ve done this before so we had a bit of an advantage,” committee co-chair Rick Blanchette said.
Joined in the leadership role was co-chair Rick Hill, and they gathered up individuals who had played a role in other big hockey events in the past.
The committee co-operated fully with the Unity Composite High School journalism class who were providing first class coverage of the event in the manner everyone has grown accustomed to in the J20 class multi media events this class covers.
Excitement was evident as crowds arrived early, some as much as two hours before puck drop. The atmosphere edged on electric as fans poured into the arena.
The crowds were entertained by the younger hockey stars who took to the ice showcasing their skills prior to the game.
The UCHS journalism class lined up a multi-media event to hold interviews of fans, players and Hockey Canada personnel, while all the while running multiple cameras throughout the evening, including an overhead camera installed at centre ice.
Right from warm up through opening ceremonies to game play, it was easy to tell this was no ordinary hockey game. And it was easy to see that these were two fiercely competitive teams, making for entertaining hockey.
Despite being unable to overcome Russia’s high-powered offense and superb goaltending, Canada West did outshoot the Russians, showing they have some skill of their own.
“It was a very long day but also very rewarding,” Town of Unity’s Parks and Recreation Director Nicole Goldsworthy said. “It was fun to see the excitement in everyone.”
While no one walked away with the new car in the Scoro event, all four shooters drew many “Oohs and aahs.” Nigel Jellison was the lucky winner of just over $2,500 in the 50/50 jackpot.
The crowd didn’t hurry out of the rink following the game, choosing instead to linger and savor the moments of such a big event held in Unity. Some headed home while others headed upstairs to meet and greet the players following their post-game meal.
