By Matthew Gourlie /

On-ice success and off-ice development has seen the future of hockey at Briercrest College go from uncertain to bright.

After nearly seeing the Clippers men’s hockey team go under, the Saskatchewan college has a resurgent program to go with a new arena.

“It was about four years ago that the program was going to be shut down,” said Calvin Watson, who is in his third season as Clippers head coach after two seasons as an assistant.

“Alumni really stepped up and said it was an important program, and that they wanted to be behind it. The people that have come through the program really felt it needed to be part of the school.

“It’s been a push forward by everybody — the institution, alumni and players — all in the same direction. Things can really start happening when everyone is on the same page with a vision for the long term, knowing that the program is going to be around.”

The Clippers posted a 9-13-2 record last season and made the playoffs for the first time since joining the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference in 1997.

There were some dark years as the Clippers struggled to be competitive against their rivals from Alberta — from 1999-2005 the Clippers had seven wins and 150 losses in regulation.

Now that their future is secure, the Clippers are generating more money for scholarships to attract more experienced players.

Just as importantly, they will move to a new arena in January. The $4.5 million arena project is part of Briercrest College’s Future In Focus campaign.

We were pretty fortunate that in the first few months, we were able to secure some pretty significant donations that were able to launch this and fast-track it,” said Wayne Durksen, vice president of advancement at Briercrest College.   

While the funding push began in ernest two years ago, the dream of a new arena is decades old.

“It’s been about a 20-year journey and certainly it is time,” said Durksen.

The arena is one of five components in the capital campaign and is an important part of life on campus and in the community of Caronport where the school is located.

“Hockey is part of the Canadian history and culture. Before we had much else happening here at Briercrest — when we originally moved to this site — we had a rink,” Durksen said.

“We’re pretty thrilled to have this new facility finally realized and we’re pretty sure it’s going to significantly impact and benefit our community and our program.”

The move to the new 500-seat arena means the end of playing in the antiquated Sparrow Gardens, which featured an ice surface significantly smaller than the NHL standard.

“It puts us up at a level where it’s not a barrier for guys to come anymore,” Watson said. “With the full-size ice surface, it allows us to work on angles and things you are going to have on the road.”

The bigger ice surface will also help with conditioning and as well as better preparing players to move on to a higher level.

“It’s win-win in a lot of different ways. Plus, it will be warmer,” Watson said with a chuckle.

The spartan building offers almost no protection from the elements, leaving everything from water bottles to coaches to freeze in the old rink.

“There’s no heaters above the benches, so whatever temperature it is outside is what it is on the benches,” Watson said. “If it’s minus-30 outside, it will be minus-30 on the bench.”