Portage la Prairie is getting ready to welcome the Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour in March 2017, and a venue has been confirmed for the event.

Hometown Hockey Tour local organizing committee co-chair David Sattler says the PCU Centre will host the festivities March 25-26, 2017. Ron MacLean, Tara Slone and the rest of the Rogers crew will host the broadcast for the March 26 Winnipeg Jets vs. Vancouver Canucks game at the site. When it was first announced Hometown Hockey would be stopping in Portage, organizers said Saskatchewan Ave., between Royal Road and Tupper Street, and the PCU Centre were being considered as areas to stage the event.

Sattler says while they've settled on the PCU Centre as the site, there is still a lot to be worked out in terms of logistics.

"The exact location hasn't been determined. There's a couple of sites (outside the PCU Centre) we're looking at," he explains. "It's a very large event with many different trailers and tents, and other components we need to fit in.

"So we're going to work to massage that to give the best functionality to the space, as well as the best view of Portage."

There will also be a variety of interactive events surrounding the Hometown Hockey setup during the two-day tour stop. Sattler says Portage Minor Hockey Association will be heavily involved, and the organizing committee is working include as many local service groups as possible. He lists a pancake breakfast and road hockey tournament as some possibilities of events suggested in the early stages of planning.

"When Rogers comes with the Hometown Hockey event, they have a lot of things that are already included," Sattler explains. "We're going to look to see what we can compliment that with.

"Hosting it at the PCU Centre, we do have the option of including some sort of 3-on-3 ice hockey tournament, or something like that," continues Sattler. "We haven't spent a lot of time on (event) planning yet, but we are looking at anything that can improve the day."

A Paint the Town Red Campaign will be announced as the event nears, Sattler says. Rogers will provide a lot of banners to plaster around Portage to promote the event. The organizing committee will also have a volunteer drive for a small number of unpaid positions, Sattler explains, but that effort has yet to begin. There will also be paid positions, and Sattler says the organizing committee will publicize them once advised by Rogers.