Sackville Arena

The crew at the Arena have been working hard to get the ice ready for the season.
Thank you for all you do!

Who’s ready for some Hockey
🥅🏒

A Celebration of Life for Matt will be held:
Saturday, August 22nd, 2026
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Sackville Arena

We are coming together to support the Lent family and celebrate Matt’s life.

Forever a Flyer

THE FUTURE 40

In 1977, 40 names guaranteed the Sackville Arena.
In 2026, it’s THE FUTURE 40.

We are looking for 40 community leaders, families, and businesses to help guarantee the next 50 years of the Sackville Arena.

Your commitment will go directly to critical upgrades:
new boards, arena pad, bathrooms, and accessibility — so we can become a 365-day community hub for Sackville.

The first 40 members of THE FUTURE 40 will be permanently commemorated on a new Thank You Wall in the Arena, right beside the 1977 Honor Roll.

This is how Sackville does it.
We don’t wait.
We build it ourselves.

To claim one of the 40 spots, contact:
[email protected]

Please email all payments to:
[email protected]

With respect,
Chris Fraser
President
Lake District Recreation Association

THE NIGHT WE SET FIRE TO OUR DEBT

Sackville, let me tell you a story.

2:00 p.m. Sunday, October 2nd, 1977. Right here on this ice.

The bleachers were packed. The program in everyone’s hands said:
A commemorative celebration held in recognition of the paying off of the mortgage and the people responsible for the concept and development of this Arena.

And at center ice, there wasn’t a hockey game.
There was a mortgage. And we set it on fire!

HOW WE GOT HERE

Five years earlier, this building didn’t exist. Our kids had nowhere to play.
So Sackville did what Sackville does. We built it ourselves.

We worked “in unison with the various service clubs in the community.”
Families donated whatever money they could to buy bricks from Chase Masonry. Real bricks.
Those are the same bricks that make up the walls we walk through today.
I’ve had people come up to me and say, “My parents owned a few bricks in that arena.” And they meant it. They literally owned a piece of this place.

But more than money, people put their names and their faith on the line.

Our LDRA Life Members, appointed 1975 & 1977:
John Payzant, Laurie Lively, Royce Hefler, Robert Bayard, Curtis Wilson, and Dennis Baxter.

And the 40 Guarantors of the Arena Debt:
Hugh MacDonald, Dennis Baxter, Lorne Hefler, Hugh Barrett, Glen Slaunwhite, Ted Blackburn, Fred Grace, Robie Ross, Bill Sharkey, Norman Hanley, Edgar Eisenhauer, Tom Chambers, Don Hyland, George Compton, Charles Burns, Laurie MacKenzie, Harold Parker, Francis Hurst, Wendell Mahew, George Matthews, Wayne Pardy, John Payzant, M.H. Bill Chase, Graham Hefler, Ken MacPhee, Kenneth Beazley, Ron Wolfe, Archie Fader, Bob McConnell, Owen Davis, Jim Bullerwell, Jim Nichols, Ernie Beaton, James Tifefield, Irving Shultz, Vaughan Johnson, Harvey Lively, Greg MacDonald, Les Stymest, and Don Hoopey.

Read those names. Those are coaches. Business owners. Dads and moms.
They signed papers that said “If this fails, we pay.”
That’s not fundraising. That’s love for community.

And it worked.
$500,000. Paid off in 5 years. Debt-free. Community-owned.

THE CHARGE

That day, LDRA President George H. Matthews stood here and gave us the words we still need to hear:

“This achievement could only have been accomplished by the unselfish dedication of the many volunteers who have given so much of their time and financial support...
I, therefore, charge this community with the responsibility of perpetuating the high standard that Sackville's Volunteers have established...
You worked for it, you built it, may you enjoy it in happiness and in health.”_

And then the flame. The mortgage turned to ash.
And Sackville knew: No bank owns us. We own this.

50 YEARS LATER

That promise is why we’re still here.
One of the last volunteer-run, community-owned arenas in all of Atlantic Canada.

This is where the Flyers learned to skate.
Where we cried together for our 6 fallen Flyers.
Where "The Hockeyvillers" in 2025 made all of Canada believe in Sackville again.
Where we host the Bill Chase AAA Cup — named for one of the very men who guaranteed this building.

This building is not steel and boards.
It’s bricks bought with $5 and $10.
It’s 40 names that risked everything so we could have ice.
It’s George Matthews asking us to keep the standard high.
It’s the heart of Sackville.

THE CHALLENGE: CAN 40 MORE NAMES COME FORWARD?

Sackville, buildings need us too.

Boards: $422,000
Bathrooms: $100,000
Accessibility: $200,000
New Pad: to keep the ice safe for the next 50 years

In 1977, 40 people guaranteed our arena.
Today I’m asking you: Can 40 more names come forward to guarantee our arena for the next 50 years?

Not to sign a bank loan. But to stand up and say: “This place matters. I’m in.”

Here’s how we guarantee the next 50 years:
Sponsor a Board - Put your family or business name on the new boards.
Buy a Brick - Just like 1977. Donate to the renovation fund
Give What You Can - $20, $200, $2000. Every dollar builds the future
Share This Story - Tell your kids about the night we burned the mortgage

A SPECIAL THANK YOU

I also want to give a special shout out to Shirley Beaton for handing us these pieces of history. Without her, this story wouldn’t be in our hands today.

And a big thank you to Beaton’s Towing for its continued community support over the years. The Beaton family has always shown up for Sackville. Ernie Beaton’s name is right there on our 1977 Guarantor list, and his friendship with so many in this community helped build what we have today. Families like the Beatons have supported causes financially in Sackville for generations —
That’s the Beaton way. That’s the Sackville way.

They burned a mortgage to give us a future.
They laid bricks to give us a home.
They signed their names so we could skate.
They charged us to keep the standard high.

Sackville, let’s answer that charge.
Let’s find 40 more names. 400 more donors. 4000 more people who believe.

Because this arena wasn’t built by government. It was built by us.
And it will be sustained by us.

Built by the community. Sustained by the community. Guaranteed for the next 50 years by the community.

Chris Fraser
President, Lake District Recreation Association
Sackville Community Arena

The Heart and Soul of Sackville: 50 Years at the Community Arena

Some buildings are made of steel and concrete.
The Sackville Community Arena in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, is made of something else.
It’s made of sacrifice. Of neighbors. Of $60 checks and burned mortgages and kids learning to skate at 6am.

For over 50 years, it has been the heart and soul of this community.

🏗️ Built By Us, For Us: 1970s

In the early 1970s, Sackville needed ice. Desperately.
So local families did what communities do. They put their own money in.

The Payzant family, owners of the local Home Hardware, stepped up with pivotal backing. And because of that grassroots push, the doors opened.

Just four years later, on October 3, 1977, something happened you don’t see anymore.
The community gathered at center ice. And they burned the mortgage.
Paid in full.
How? Because residents agreed to a self-imposed $60 annual property tax to own it outright. No debt. No handouts. Just us.

That fire at center ice in 1977 wasn’t the end of a debt.
It was the beginning of a promise: This arena belongs to the people.

🏒 Home to Generations

Since then, the ice has told a thousand stories.

It’s the longtime home of the Sackville Flyers. Of the Junior B Blazers. Of high school teams from Millwood, Sackville, and Lockview. Of the Metro Minor Wolves Lacrosse in the summer.

It’s where siblings waited in the stands. Where grandparents learned to love hockey. Where volunteers flooded the ice and zambonied at midnight.

This place taught sportsmanship. It taught showing up.

And sometimes, it taught sacrifice.
During a previous Kraft Hockeyville bid, Sackville had one of the strongest campaigns in the country. But when we learned the arena in Tyne Valley, PEI had burned down, we did something rare.
We withdrew our bid.
We threw all of our support behind them.
Because community means lifting each other up, even when it costs you.

2025: The Hockeyvillers and the Memorials That Define Us

In 2025, that same spirit came roaring back.
"The Hockeyvillers" rallied Sackville, and then all of Canada. We finished top in Nova Scotia and Top 4 nationally. The $25,000 we won became new doors, a water station, and a camera so grandma could watch from home.

But 2025 was also a year of remembrance.
We held a Memorial Tournament for our 6 fallen Flyers — six young lives this community will never forget. The arena was full of jerseys, tears, and love. It reminded everyone why this building matters. It’s not about the ice. It’s about the people on it.

We also hosted the Bill Chase AAA Cup. A tournament that brings the best to Sackville, and reminds us that champions are made right here, in this barn.

☀️ The Next 50 Years: 2026 and Beyond

In January 2026, we got news that made us believe in the future again.
The federal government announced a $1.3 million green infrastructure investment.

We’re becoming the first solar-powered rink in the region. With rooftop solar panels and a Battery Energy Storage System, we’ll cut our electricity bill by $14,000 every month.

That savings doesn’t go to a corporation. It goes back to you.
To lower registration fees. To a new $600,000 concrete pad. To new boards. To keeping the lights on for the next kid who laces up.

We are one of the last privately owned, volunteer-run arenas in Atlantic Canada.
Owned by the Lake District Recreation Association. Run by volunteers.
Funded by rentals, by lacrosse in the summer, by people who believe this place matters.

The Promise

The Sackville Arena was built in 1973 by the community, for the community.
The mortgage was burned at center ice in 1977.
In 2025, we proved we still show up for each other.
In 2026, we’re investing in the next 50 years.

This building is not just boards and bleachers.
It’s the heart and soul of Sackville.
It’s where we grieve together. Where we cheer together. Where we grow up.

And with your help, it will be here for the next generation to do the same.

Built by the community. Sustained by the community.

Chris Fraser
President, Lake District Recreation Association

What does Check on your Teammates mean to former Montreal Canadian enforcer
Chris “Knuckles” Nilan

Support matters. Awareness of mental health struggles is the first step. NHL legend, @knucklesnilan says: Get out of yourself, be available, and build trust by reaching out. Your effort could open a door to peace for someone else. #MentalHealth #CheckIn #SupportSystem #EndTheStigma #peace

Plumber Wanted for Sackville Arena

Big thanks to the Kraft Hockeyville Committee for purchasing a new water cooler for the arena!

We are now looking for a certified plumber to help with the installation so our players, families, and visitors can stay hydrated this season.

If you can help or know someone who can, please reach out to:
Chris Fraser
[email protected]

Let’s get this installed and back to serving the community!

Part 2 of Arber Xhekaj’s Check on your Teammates interview

A team is so much larger than just the players you see on the ice or field. From the equipment managers and medical staff to the chefs and nutritionists, the behind-the-scenes crew makes the whole operation run smoothly. Treating everyone as an equal and a friend creates a winning culture where everyone feels valued. Check out the full interview on http://youtube.com/@coyteammates featuring @arberxhekaj_ #TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork #offtheice #hockeylife #defenseman

Arber Xhekaj of the Montreal Canadiens talks about Check of your Teammates

#VGTeammateTuesday Toughness isn’t pretending you’re fine. Hear why @arberxhekaj_ believes checking on your teammates matters. A simple conversation can make a bigger difference than you know. #CheckOnYourTeammates #TeammateTuesday #Hockey

It is with heavy hearts that we share the unexpected passing of Coach Matt Lent.

Matt was more than a coach to our Sackville hockey community. He was a mentor, a leader, and a role model to our youth. His kindness, energy, and love for the game touched everyone he met.

Matt leaves behind his wife Terri-Lynn and two beautiful children, Emerson and Georgia.

A Celebration of Life for Matt will be held:
Saturday, August 22nd, 2026
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Sackville Arena

We are coming together to support the Lent family and celebrate Matt’s life.

How you can help:
We are accepting donations of food items, snacks, drinks, tea, coffee, paper plates, and napkins.
We are also looking for volunteers to help in the kitchen that day.

If you would like to donate or volunteer, please reach out to:
Chris Fraser at Sackville Arena
or Robert Nurmber at Sackville Minor Hockey

Let’s come together to make this day as easy and supportive as possible for Matt’s family and friends.

Our thoughts are with Terri-Lynn, Emerson, and Georgia.
To read more about Matt’s life, please visit: everloved.com



https://everloved.com/life-of/matthew-lent/

Ever Loved | The #1 Funeral Website Everything you need to plan (and pay for) the perfect funeral. Find providers, save on caskets & urns, easily share information, and get money to cover costs.