By Joan Janzen

There was a lot of excitement at Dodsland on Saturday, March 23, when the Stranraer Elks and the Dodsland Lions hosted the Calgary Flames Alumni game against the Dodsland Sr. Stars. Theo Fleury posted a comment on Saturday, saying “We’re in Dodsland, Saskatchewan for a charity game. Great little community, lots of great guys and we’re having a blast! It’s good to be on the ice and it’s good to be back in Saskatchewan! It’s the birth place of our brother Brad McCrimmon and it was an honour to play in his hometown.” Brad was born in Dodsland on March 29, 1959.

**The Flames Alumni emerged as champions, defeating the Dodsland Sr. Stars 10-5 Saturday, March 23 at Dodsland.**

Morgan Rousseaux, President of the Dodsland Lions, was excited to report that approximately 350 people attended the supper and auction portion of the event, and almost as many attended the game. “We’ve never hosted an event of this size in the rink, so it was a learning experience for all of us!” Morgan said.

Their learning experience resulted in a successful event, which included a meet-and-greet held prior to supper and a round table that followed. “The response to the entire evening was unbelievable!” Morgan said. We can’t thank the Flames Alumni enough for their time and effort. They answered every question, signed everything that was placed in front of them, and made sure to stick around for some beers when it was all done.”

And as Fleury observed, “We raised a ton of money, and everybody was having a good day!” As for the on-ice portion, the score was 6-2 for the Flames after the first half, with a final score of 10-5 for the Flames Alumni.

“Seeing how well the Alumni still move out there was awesome!” Morgan said. “I think a lot of our local senior players underestimated what they were going up against.” He said watching Derek Smith get eaten alive in the face off dot all afternoon by his favourite team was special.

Both the Stranraer Elks and Dodsland Lions pulled off a very successful event after nearly two years of planning. Plans began after the Elks presented their idea to the Lions in October 2023. At that time, the plans were placed on hold since the Flames Alumni had prior arrangements.

When the date was confirmed for 2025, the clubs and their almost 80 members combined forces to share the workload. The Stranraer Elks and Dodsland Lions not only shared the work but are also sharing the proceeds, which will be put back into their communities wherever needed.