The future of the Lac La Hache Tomahawks senior men's hockey team is up in the air following an announcement the team's home rink, the Rolf Zeis Memorial Arena, will close later this month and, possibly, for good.
"I don't know what we're going to do," Tomahawks president and goaltender Willie Sellars said Wednesday. "If we don't have a rink to play out of we're not going to be able to play in that league [the Central Interior Hockey League]. It's unfortunate and it looks like we'll be looking for a new home."
During the Lac La Hache Community Club's annual general meeting Tuesday the decision was made to end this year's arena season on Feb. 29 due to several circumstances.
LLHCC president Larry McCrea told the Tribune power plant issues, rising maintenance costs, lack of use and a reduction in the number of volunteers from the community are all factors in the decision to close the arena.
"Our expenses are way up, especially hydro," McCrea said. "We pay $5,000 a month for hydro, our use is down for a variety of reasons and the volunteer base is down. The club has been dumping money into the arena to keep it going."
Seventy-three-year-old Terry Buckoll, the main volunteer behind keeping the arena's doors open, also said he won't be able to continue his job next season.
The Rolf Zeis Memorial Arena has its roots in Williams Lake where it was once the old Williams Lake Arena. In the 1980s it was disassembled and moved to its new home in Lac La Hache.
"We need more use, more involvement from the community in the operation of the arena and expenses," McCrea said. "That's just life."
McCrea said main user groups affected by the closure will be the Tomahawks, an old-timers hockey league, some minor hockey use out of 100 Mile House and regular user groups such as a women's team and a youth skating group.
Funding from the provincial government also isn't an option after Lac La Hache lost its minor hockey designation.
"We used to insure it through 100 Mile minor hockey because we can't have our own," he said. "But at the end of the day we lost our official minor hockey status and we don't get grants anymore."
Sellars said the Tomahawks will decide how to move forward during the team's year-end meeting coming up soon. One option suggested to him by the LLHCC is to move the team to 100 Mile House. Another would be to withdraw from the league, rename the team and move to Williams Lake to play as an independent senior men's hockey team.
"If we can get six games in versus other senior men's teams we can still attend the Coy Cup [the B.C. senior men's provincial hockey championship]," Sellars said.
The LLHCC, which was incorporated in 1932, owns and operates the Lac La Hache Community Hall, a three-building thrift store and hosts a popular bingo night every Wednesday. They also organize the Lac La Hache Garlic Festival.
"We'll close early this season and then look at our options," McCrea said. "We may not open at all, we may open for a shorter season. We'll see."