Carrot River Minor Hockey (Submitted photo/Dan Pihowich)

By Ben Tompkins

Carrot River Minor Hockey

Carrot River Minor Hockey Auction breaks fundraising record

Nov 10, 2021 | 10:05 AM

The annual Carrot River Minor Hockey Auction was held this past weekend, Nov. 6 and it was the best one that they have ever seen.

With the auction starting in 1979, that makes the event over 40 years old.

And despite, in what many people hope to be the end of a pandemic, with no in-person event being able to be held last year, the community and surrounding area of Carrot River responded in a huge way.

Funds raised and items donated went through the roof, in what will help keep hockey affordable for kids and enhance their experience.

Items donated totalled over 200, the previous record was roughly 160, and because of that, the association is seeing more teams and more kids sign up and play some hockey.

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Auction organizer and coach in the Carrot River Minor Hockey Association Dan Pihowich said that he has seen other minor hockey associations fold in smaller communities and that if it weren’t for the auction, Carrot River could potentially take the same fate.

“The auction is fantastic, there’s no such thing in this world that is for certain anymore and you see a lot of these smaller communities, with minor hockey, their associations are forced to dissolve,” he said. “When I talk about the numbers in Carrot River, that’s kids from all across our surrounding area, which this auction has gone to support and keep existing.”

And Pihowich really enforced his stance on not being able to take things for granted, as he knows what it was like not too long ago and how lucky they are now to be in the position they’re in, especially with the success of the auction.

“A month ago with the case numbers we had in Saskatchewan, not once did I think the kids would be out there on the ice playing hockey and here we are, having a season this year, there’s some normalcy back in the kids’ lives and I think we’re going in the right direction. Not only that, but we just had our best auction ever coming off of this, it’s incredible,” he added.

Pihowich also mentioned that as much as this auction gives back to the kids, it gives back to the community, just as the community has given back to it.

“We’re also giving back to the community as well, growing up in a small town, the rink is the hub in the community. I’m happy to be able to work with minor hockey to help it stay flourishing in Carrot River and hope that my kids and grandkids have a place to play too.”

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8