St. Laurent's arena is in the running for $100,000 and a chance to host a preseason NHL game at the arena of their choice. They've been named to the top ten finalists of the Kraft Hockeyville contest, and the winner of the initiative will be decided by votes. St. Laurent Minor Hockey Committee Secretary Treasurer Angelica Kerbrat says the arena's been around since 1979, and is in dire need of upgrades. Over the last few years the situation's become worse, including the recent breakdown of the arena's ice plant. She says this funding could go a long way to ensuring the facility is around for years to come.

"Most importantly we have to fix the immediate problem, which is the system that keeps our ice in. We have to maintain that. Secondly, we only have three small dressing rooms and half of the toilets aren't even functioning right now, so there's a lot of work to be done in the dressing rooms and bathrooms for sure. Our canteen needs upgrades so we can have some more healthy options to sell from the canteen. Also, right now we're dealing with a leaky roof."

Kerbrat notes there's a real sense of excitement now they've been named to the top ten, feeling they wouldn't have been as successful without the support of the whole community. She says if they win, they even have a local business willing to do their part, by working free of charge as long as the cost of materials is covered.

When it comes to the chance to host an NHL preseason game, Kerbrat says there are certain requirements a host arena would need. She says while the St. Laurent arena may not be able to host the game, they have their eye on some other communities where it could happen.

"We would get to host a Jets game at an arena of our choice as long as it meets the criteria. We're thinking of maybe hosting a Jets game in Portage la Prairie at the PCU Centre, or maybe at Peguis First Nation because they have a nice arena there."

Voting for Kraft Hockeyville begins Sunday, and you can vote as many times as you'd like. Kerbrat hopes to see those across Manitoba casting their vote, to help their arena address the current much-needed repairs, and continue to be available to youth in the future.

"We're a very small community. We have very few options for the kids in terms of activities here. We're located about an hour north of Winnipeg, so if I want to put by kids in singing or dancing, I have to drive an hour to Winnipeg and an Hour back after. We really depend on having that arena to bring our kids somewhere after school to skate to get physical activity."

(Courtesy Wendy Scharf)