An expansion bid has once again been filed with the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League looking to land a team in Quesnel.
Matt Kolle, currently serving as the Kamloops Storm’s assistant general manager, is behind the renewed push for a team in the city of 10,000 people 400 kilometres north of Kamloops.
Kolle, who splits his time between Kamloops and Quesnel, was also behind a failed bid to land a team in the Cariboo city last year.
He told KTW he is hoping to have more success this time around.
“This year, through the procedure, we definitely stirred up a variety of different interests, including some phone calls with some other owners,” he said.
“It showed there was a taste for a team in Quesnel.”
The Storm are playing six home games in Quesnel to support Kolle’s bid. He said the games played there so far have been well attended.
“It’s been great,” he said.
“We’ve had huge crowds — bigger than other teams in the league.”
One major sticking point in Kolle’s previous bid was travel expenses. Quesnel would be the northernmost team in the 20-club league — 200 kilometres north of the closest team in 100 Mile House.
“I think that happens at ever corner of the league,” he said, noting his new bid includes an offer to subsidize hotels for visiting teams.
Quesnel has been without junior hockey since the B.C. Hockey League’s Quesnel Millionaires moved to Chilliwack in 2011.
The KIJHL’s membership committee expects to have a report for owners by Dec. 31.
League commissioner Bill Ohlhausen said he expects a decision to be made at a league meeting on Jan. 14.
Ohlhausen wouldn’t speculate on the outcome of Kolle’s bid, nor would he offer his opinion on expansion.
“The membership is the one that makes that decision,” he said. “I have no comment because it’s not me that decides.”
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