Score big for minor hockey: Brockville Winter Classic raffle offers Vegas getaway, boosts youth participation

The Brockville Winter Classic is once again offering their Christmas raffle – and this time, they are introducing a new initiative to grow and improve access to minor hockey.

With a purchase of a Christmas raffle ticket, you could win the top prize of a trip for two to Las Vegas, tickets to a Golden Knights game, ‘his & her’ jerseys, and $1,000 cash.  

While multiple participants will go home with an array of tickets and cash prizes, the real winners of this raffle will be local youths in the Brockville community. All funds raised from the raffle will go directly toward facilitating increased participation in the U7 Programs for both Brockville Girls Hockey Association and Brockville Minor Hockey Association.

According to the Brockville Winter Classic Committee, the impact of this initiative is already making waves within the community, as evidenced by an increased registration of 62 per cent for the Brockville Girls Hockey Association and 44 per cent for the Brockville Minor Hockey Association. 

Ryan Billing, committee member for the Brockville Winter Classic, told Brockvilleist, “These dollars are going strictly toward the new initiatives, which is really just trying to increase participation in hockey. So this past year, we started that and we paid for the ice time for both programs at their entry level.”

By subsidizing the cost of ice time, the hockey programs were able to lower the nominal fee from approximately $375 to $50.

“What we saw was a huge increase in participation, so our long term goal is to do that, but also then keep kids in hockey, because it’s great if we can get them in it but then obviously, with travelling and costs and all those fees, it’s still still a barrier for people,” explained Billing. 

This year, the committee will be focusing all funds gathered from the raffle toward the subsidy program for the initiation players. Billing explained, “The actual long term plan needs to be developed a bit more, but it would be a fluid program that would allow us to help kids as they travel through hockey and not just get into hockey.”

Raffle tickets are $25 each or $100 for 5 tickets. To purchase online, tickets can be secured via e-transfer using this link — and your ticket numbers will be sent to you.    

Tickets can also be bought in-person with cash at these four locations in Brockville: 

•        Keystorm Pub
•        Severson Cleaners
•        Career Services of Brockville
•        Brent Scott, Brent Scott Insurance Services Inc.

The draw will take place on Dec. 26 at noon at the Keystorm Pub.