By Geoff Smith (@GeoffSmithLNN on Twitter)

Pronghorns hoping to involve community in tournament

Feb 1, 2018 | 11:38 AM

LETHBRIDGE – It’s only for one year, not the two they had bid for.

But Ken McInnes, the University of Lethbridge executive director of sport and recreation services, said it just means they’ll have to put everything they’ve got into one year. On Thursday, Feb. 1, USPORTS announced it has granted the 2019 University Cup men’s hockey championship to Lethbridge.

“Sure, it would have been great to have the two years. It would have given us a little bit more recruitment power. But I will take, certainly, one year,” McInnes said Thursday. “The opportunity to host is an honour, and it’s a big event. It brings really high-calibre hockey into Lethbridge.”

In addition to helping with recruiting for the Pronghorns, and demonstrating the skill level of the program, McInnes feels it will help demonstrate Lethbridge can host big-time events.

“When we do a great job, that’s the best sales pitch you can have for other major events coming into Lethbridge, hey look, they do have the volunteer base, they have the facilities, they can do it,” he said.

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The planning is already underway, but McInnes said they can now openly approach potential sponsors and committee volunteers. He expects they will need in the neighbourhood of 200 volunteers, in part depending on how they transport people from Calgary.

Other events in conjunction with the tournament may include coaching symposiums, a festival or cabaret, and other ways to incorporate as much of the community as possible and increase the buzz, McInnes added.

As host, the Pronghorns will automatically have a berth in the tournament, exactly 25 years after the program won its only national title. McInnes said it will be critical to ice a competitive team and play for the gold medal.

“There may be a lot of pressure on me to host, but I think there’s even more pressure on our coach,” he said. “I think we do have a competitive team. There’s a few pieces the coach will go out and get, and use this as part of our recruitment, and then these guys have to get it done. We can do all the work, but in the end, it’s them playing, and I have a lot of confidence in them.”

The event, scheduled for Mar. 14-17, 2019, will mark the fourth national tournament hosted by the University of Lethbridge. The program played host to the national championships in women’s rugby last fall and in 2008, and the 1988 women’s basketball championship.

The 2020 event, on which Lethbridge had also bid, was awarded to Acadia in Nova Scotia.