Elks honour Former Player at Alumni Game

The Elk Point Sr Elks are inviting back players from throughout the years for a fun alumni game on January 28th. Along with the game there will be socializing, games, fundraising for the arena, and a special memorial for a former player who died this past year, Mike Boratynec.

Coach for the Elks, Murray Cochrane says there’s a full-day of good hockey fun for everyone, “there’s a meet n’ greet, with alumni players in the early afternoon.” The meet n’ greet will be followed by an alumni meal, “then they’ll play at 6:00 pm.” This’ll be one of those intense matches predicts Cochrane. Many of the returning players are legends in the community and some haven’t shared the same ice with others, in the past. There’s old history and unfinished business. Gloves may just come off… for hugs, of course. “It’ll all be in good fun,” laughs Cochrane.

The barn is expected to be packed, which will make for some great fundraising. “We’re going to be auctioning off players during the first and second period. We’ll also auction off a goalie. Then after the game we’re going to have a fun shootout. The person who bought the player with the most points will walk away with half the pot,” Cochrane explains if you choose the goalie and he gets a shootout then you’d win the pot. The other half of the money will go towards arena upgrades, to get the AG Ross ready to host Midget Provincials in March.

The game will lead into the Elks final regular season game, “before our Elks game we’re going to do a Mike Boratynec memorial. His little girl is going to drop the puck, at the game, and we have something special planned.”

The current Elks team will be taking on Paradise Hill at 8:00 pm. Cochrane says the club is hoping to maintain their playoff spot and hopefully, if the stars align, meet Dewberry in the first round. “Why not? We want to get those good crowds and it would be extremely exciting!” Elk Point and the Dewberry Mustangs have a long standing rivalry that’ll surely bring down the barn.

As for Paradise Hill, the Hawks sit 6th to the Elks 4th place in the SaskAlta Sr Men’s Hockey League.

The festivities continue after the Elks game with “story-telling”, as Cochrane calls it. He encourages fans and players to stick around the arena after the buzzer to relive the glory days, with stories and socializing.