When a community comes together to make something happen, the possibilities are endless. Could we have guessed that the teeny, tiny town of Lumby, BC would be making headlines and given a national title for its connection to Canada’s favourite sport? The answer is yes, we could - because when people care enough about their tight-knit community, they can make anything happen, including having Lumby crowned as Hockeyville.

Photo Credit KelownaNow

On Sunday, October 2nd the residents of Lumby received the gift of a lifetime, in the form of an NHL game played in their honour. Although the game was played at Kal Tire Place in Vernon due to seating limitations at the Pat Duke Memorial Arena in Lumby, the presence of Lumby was strong. The rink was filled to the brim with proud Lumby locals, cheering for the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings split-squad as they battled in exhibition play.

Photo Credit KelownaNow

The game saw the Oilers young stars shine, as golden boy Connor McDavid and top draft pick Jesse Puljujarvi each scored an impressive goal, and Jordan Eberle added the game winning goal. The Kings split-squad team outshot the Oilers 29-25, but struggled to beat Oilers’ netminder Laurent Brossoit. The final score in the game was 3-2 for Edmonton.

Photo Credit KelownaNow

Kal Tire Place was packed full of excitement, including a number of signs, jerseys, and smiles. The Kings mascot, Bailey the Lion, got the crowd pumped up in the stands and taunted Oilers fans any chance that he got.

Photo Credit KelownaNow

During the second period the crowd of 3500 began what seemed to be a competition of which section could cheer the loudest, as the two sides of the arena took turns yelling at the top of their lungs. The people of Lumby know how to have a good time - that’s for sure!

Photo Credit KelownaNow

As the 10th annual Kraft Hockeyville winners, Lumby enjoyed the perks of being named Hockeyville thanks to the support and efforts of their locals, who voted hundreds of times each in order to be awarded this title and the perks that come along with it. These perks included the NHL exhibition game, which filled Kal Tire Place to its capacity with hockey fans and proud community members alike, and alongside the opportunity to host a preseason NHL game, Lumby was also awarded $100,000 for arena upgrades to the Pat Duke Memorial Arena.

Photo Credit KelownaNow

It was a celebratory win for both the Edmonton Oilers and for the Lumby community.

Photo Credit KelownaNow

Want to see more photos? Check out our Facebook Gallery

Share your thoughts on the above story at news@kelownanow.com

 

Comments