Sask. senior hockey team surprised after acquiring sizable fan base
A senior “A” hockey team from southeast Saskatchewan is quietly gaining a huge following.
The Round Lake Bears, who play out of Ochapowace Nation, have drawn over 1,100 fans to each of their last three home games. The games were also watched by hundreds via live streaming.
The nation says it’s been an incredible run.
“We have people coming from Regina, Brandon, Winnipeg. We never thought there would be this many people here,” Chief Shelley Bear told CTV News.
“It’s just overwhelming but we carry a lot of pride in [it].”
Farley Allary is a member of the Ochapowace Nation and has worked at the hockey rink for many years. He said what’s happening is a new feat for the location.
“This brings back the excitement to our community. It’s a great atmosphere, this is the fullest I have ever seen this rink,” Allary said.
The fanbase also travels with the team, filling up neighbouring rinks.
Norman Krahn is a fan of the team, as well as a father to one of the Bears’ players.
He said the quality of the hockey is bringing the people out.
“The level of hockey is just great to watch,” he said. “It’s good, rough hockey and it’s such a high pace.”
The players on the ice have taken notice and know it’s a special time for the teams.
“I never thought it would be like this,” said forward Tyler Fiddler. “It keeps on getting bigger and bigger. We appreciate in the locker room – all the support.”
The Bears were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday night, losing to the Lumsden Monarchs 7-2.
However, the team will be playing tournaments in the near future, the first being in Prince Albert at the end of March.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
Italian teenage computer wizard set to become the first saint of the millennial generation
Pope Francis paved the way for the canonization of the first saint of the millennial generation on Thursday, attributing a second miracle to a 15-year-old Italian computer whiz who died of leukemia in 2006.
Milk sold in Canadian grocery stores tested for avian influenza; results released
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
Morgan Spurlock, Oscar-nominated director of 'Super Size Me,' dies at 53
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life's work, famously eating only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
'A really bad car crash': Why health experts are raising concerns over surging syphilis cases
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) that was once thought to be a thing of the past is now a public health priority for North American doctors.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
Leaving time on the table: Surveys show unused paid vacation, 'quiet vacationing'
'Quiet vacationing' is the latest new term to describe the rough edges of office culture, and survey data shows it's widespread among North American workers.
Toddler dies after being struck by recycling truck in Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
Helicopters, impersonations and squeezing through the fence: a brief history of Quebec prison escapes
Friday's warrant for prison inmate Yacine Zouaoui, 32, is the latest in hundreds of reported prison breaks in Quebec. Sometimes, they just walked away; sometimes they went through a fence, and twice they used a helicopter.