For the third time, the Niverville Nighthawks cut a grand prize cheque to a lucky Chase the Ace winner.
On Monday, February 2, Christine DeMare chose envelope number 49, which held the winning ace of spades. Including the weekly cash prize of $173, DeMare went home with a cool $15,633.
Not only is DeMare a Niverville resident, she’s also a Nighthawks billet mom, making her win all the more significant.
“As tough as it is that it comes to an end after our twentieth week, it’s bittersweet because it’s nice to see somebody local [winning the prize], and especially somebody who’s giving back to the Nighthawks and the community by being a billet family,” says Nighthawks marketing director Kevin Dunn.
The DeMares are first-time billet parents this season, playing host to defenceman Aaron Krestanowich.
“All the players call her Momma D,” says Dunn. “With Krestanowich being one of the captains of the team, the boys frequently visit there for a hot tub [soak] after practices and games. They are a great family and they host the kids there periodically for dinners.”
The first round of Chase the Act in the fall of 2024 lasted only three weeks before the ace of spades was selected. The payout came to just under $4,000. Round two, on the other hand, saw 40 weeks pass before the ace was uncovered. That time, the final jackpot reached nearly $50,000.
According to Dunn, the biggest difference in round three was watching the jackpot grow faster, earlier, something he attributes to the energy built over the first two rounds.
The same was true for the crowds that filled Smitty’s lounge every Monday night over the past 20 weeks.
By round three, the Nighthawks had also gained new prize sponsorships from Duke’s Burgers and ODR Golf. They joined Torque Brewing, Negash Coffee, The Citizen, and Smitty’s as sponsors.
For now, Dunn says it’s unclear when the next Chase the Ace fundraiser will take place. Their focus, at this point, turns to other fundraisers, such as the annual gala on March 14 and the summer golf tournament.
“We don’t want to overdo Chase the Ace and threaten any kind of momentum that we’ve built off of it,” Dunn says. “We want to make sure the [next fundraiser] is fun and we get enough people involved with it that it creates an exciting atmosphere.”
As for the approximate $15,000 the Nighthawks generated from this third round, Dunn says it will go directly to the hockey club’s operating costs.