New Perdue, Sask. arena hosts first hockey game 3 years after old rink destroyed by fire

It was an emotional weekend in Perdue, Sask., as the puck dropped in a new arena.

The town's previous rink burned down three years ago and the community hadn't hosted an official hockey game since.

The new venue hostedits first hockey gameduring the village'sannual Hockey Day Saturday.

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"It was really emotional for everybody and it was an incredibly exciting weekend," Michael Gray, co-chair of the Perdue Arena Rebuild, told CBC Radio's The Morning Edition.

"We haven't seen the local kids on our own ice for a long time."

Gray said the villageof about 375 people was shattered when the old arena burned down.

"It's devastating. You don't ever think that you're going to be able to rebuild it," said Gray.

The community banded together to get itssticks back on the ice.

"There was really no doubt that we had the will to do it," said Gray.

After pulling together enough moneythrough donations, fundraisers and insurance,Perdueis now home towhat Gray calls, "a beautiful, small town arena,"built most by volunteers.

"Building it brought a lot of people back together that maybe didn't spend as much time as they used to together," he said.

"It means a lot. It's a great visiting place for everyone to get together."

Gray said people from around the province made the trip to Perdue to see the new arena.

"It was like a homecoming for a lot of people," he said. "It was great."

Perdueis located about 65 kilometres west of Saskatoon.