Ceremonial puck drop during Tigers Fight Cancer home game

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Correction

Brookdale 6 End Mixed Bonspiel & 3 on 3 Hockey Tournament

March 10th -12th 2023

Entry Fee: $210/hockey team $160/curling team

Includes 4 supper tickets and entry into draw for

2-$1000 travel vouchers! (must be present at time of draw)

Hockey Entries call/text Mark 841-3367 or Gord 841-3655

Curling Entries – call/text Kelly 476-0688 or Brent 724-0942

DJ Saturday night / transportation provided

23022bt0

By Eoin Devereux Neepawa Banner & Press

For Greg Ewasko, it doesn’t matter if it’s within the colossal confines of an NHL sized arena or the more intimate space that is the Yellowhead Centre; All that matters to him is that pursuit of perfect ice.

Ewasko is the head ice technician for the 2023 Viterra Provincial Men’s Curling Championship, set for Neepawa from Feb. 7 to 12. He, and his crew, as well as a large contingent of local volunteers, have converted the Yellowhead from a hockey/skating style ice, to the more complex set up needed for curling.

What’s the difference?

The main difference between a hockey/skating ice surface and a surface optimal for curling is the “pebbling” of the ice, which allows for the stone to curl. If the ice is just smooth, a curler would have no control over the stone, and could simply fly off in any direction randomly.

Once the initial conversion at the Yellowhead is completed, the ice surface must be precisely maintained throughout the week. Water droplets are dispersed across the sheets that rapidly freeze. The pebbles’ peaks are then shaved off to create an even surface with plateaus of different widths. Many factors, such as the water droplets’ size, the temperature and the intensity of the spread of the water spray can affect the playing surface.