The Grande Prairie JDA Kings will start next season with a nice nest egg in their bank account, thanks to the success of this year’s Junior B provincials. DEW Line Enterprises – who managed the provincials on behalf of the Kings – recently handed over a cheque for 44 thousand dollars in profits from the early April tournament. DEW Line owner Don Whiteford says getting the Pomeroy Hotel on board early as the major sponsor was key in making the event a financial success.
“We knew once we had that lined up that we could not lose money on the tournament, and that was a big worry of course when we first signed up for being hosts of provincials. Â Then afterwards, we were able to add on a lot of other local sponsors from around town. Â A lot of the oil patch companies came on.”
Whiteford adds an average of 300 people attended each game at provincials, which was well above their goal of 200 people per game. Â Helping with that was the success of the local teams. Â The Grande Prairie JDA Kings took silver in the tournament, while NWJHL champ North Peace Navigators won the bronze.