ST. PAUL – Members of the community can expect an hour-and-half of fun and excitement at the Clancy Richard Arena, later this week.
On Jan. 12, the St. Paul Fire Department and the 840 CFCW will hit the ice to raise money for a regional fire training centre. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m.
St. Paul Fire Chief Trevor Kotowich says while it will “definitely not” be a serious hockey game, it will be an event that will be “fun for the whole family.”
“We’re there to have a lot of fun, entertain the crowd, and at the same time, raise some funds for our local firefighter’s association,” said Kotowich. The CFCW Critters’ hockey team mascot ‘Critter’ will also make an appearance alongside ‘Sparky,’ the St. Paul fire department’s own mascot.
There will be prizes available throughout the night, brought by the Critters, including various Critters’ merchandise like T-shirts, hats and many more.
The Critters’ hockey team, established in 1993, visits and supports different community fundraisers every year.
Back in 2016, the St. Paul Fire Department hosted the Critters for a fundraising hockey game, according to Kotowich, and he is excited to be able to do it again.
“We’re really looking forward to it.”
Participating members of the fire department worked to find sponsors from the St. Paul business community, and “I’m very happy to say that 15 different businesses have stepped up and have individually sponsored each member that’s going to be playing,” said Kotowich.
The proceeds from the game will be going toward a regional fire training facility, located at the County of St. Paul’s Public Works yard. The facility was built back in 2015 and is continually being upgraded.
The money being raised now will hopefully finish off the facility and allow area firefighters access to advanced training opportunities.
“Right now, we just use what we call cold smoke, which is theatrical smoke, and we don’t actually burn anything,” he said. “So that is our goal.”
He said the estimated upgrades are close to $100,000.
The charity hockey game, according to Kotowich, “is not only going to be fun for the community but it’s also going to help us get closer to our goal.”
The fire chief says he hopes the community will come out and give their support and have some fun alongside the local firefighters.
