Wawa's hockey players and skaters are getting a little more ice time.
Facing a request to extend the season to give hockey players opportunity to prepare for the Northern Ontario Hockey Association's "Tournament of Champions" (which will be held the first weekend of April), Wawa Municipal Council's approved the extension of the arena ice season to Thursday, April 4th, the day before the tournament begins.
Curling ice season was already set to continue through that weekend, which is when the Men's Bonspiel will be held.
The resolution also commits to a review of the arena ice use policy, updating it to include criteria for determining future ice extension requests that do not meet the policy's requirements, hopefully avoiding what has become an annual issue, of Council needing to consider requests to extend the season due to tournaments late in the season.
Discussion on the request had focused on the cost of extending the season, including for staffing and the extra wear-and-tear on the arena - particularly amid a likely warmer and more humid period - and whether the cantina would stay open, which it will.