NORTHFIELD, Ill. – Kraft will celebrate the passion and unity of hockey communities like never before with the launch of Kraft Hockeyville 2015 on both sides of the border. For the first time, the award-winning program in Canada is expanding to help build better communities in the United States as well. Now, hockey towns in the U.S. can enter for a chance to win a $150,000 arena makeover courtesy of Kraft, have an NHL preseason game played in its local arena showcased on TV and earn the title "Kraft Hockeyville 2015."

As a highly successful, award-winning scale marketing program in Canada, Kraft Hockeyville has awarded more than $1.6 million towards local hockey arena upgrades to more than 40 communities over the last eight years.

SYLVAN LAKE, Alberta -- This day was created as a celebration of hockey in small towns across Canada, so it was fitting the NHL preseason game at the end of 2014 Kraft Hockeyville was complete with a game-winning goal that was manufactured in Alberta.

Curtis Glencross, whose parents live in a house on Sylvan Lake, tipped a shot from Caroline, Alberta, native Kris Russell in overtime to give the Calgary Flames a 4-3 victory against the Arizona Coyotes at Sylvan Lake Multiplex.

Glencross and Russell were two of several players in this game with Alberta ties, but they were two of the three that have spent a lot of time working on their craft in this town.

"[Russell] and I both skated in the old barn quite a bit back in the day," Glencross said. "He made a great shot and I just got lucky enough to get my stick on it. ... It was a nice shot by [Russell]. He put it right in the spot we practice every day."

SYLVAN LAKE, Alberta -- Some unlikely sources contributed to the offensive fireworks Wednesday night at 2014 Kraft Hockeyville.

"I think everyone that plays in the roles that the four of us do, work a lot to be able to contribute in other ways," Crombeen said. "It's nice to be able to chip in on the offense, but I think all of us know what our main role is and obviously just trying to play hard and do the simple things and get the pucks to the net."

Kassian opened the scoring near the midway point of the first, when he corralled a rebound from Chris Summers and beat Flames goalie Joni Ortio.

SYLVAN LAKE, Alberta -- Calgary Flames forward Mason Raymond grew up in nearby Cochrane, Alberta, so he knows what it's like to look up to members of the Flames as a kid.

Raymond was on the other end of that relationship Wednesday when he and Arizona Coyotes forward Jordan Szwarz were the guests of honor at Fox Run School. The school, which also welcomed students in the gymnasium from nearby Mother Teresa Catholic, welcomed the two players as part of the lead-up to the Kraft Hockeyville preseason game between Arizona and Calgary at the Sylvan Lake Multiplex.

The players arrived to a crescendo and screams and applause from the kids, which ranged from Grades 3-9 and filled the gymnasium to capacity. Raymond and Szwarz talked to the students about their careers and journey to being a hockey player before selected kids were able to ask them questions.

SYLVAN LAKE, Alberta -- It's as close to home-ice advantage as Turner Elson could ask for.

The 22-year-old Calgary Flames prospect is vying for an opportunity to earn a roster spot out of training camp and will take another toward that goal when he gets into his first preseason game, against the Arizona Coyotes at the 2014 Kraft Hockeyville game here Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, NHL Network).

And that suits the former Red Deer Rebels captain just fine.

"It's an absolute hockey city," said Elson, who spent four seasons just 15 minutes up the road playing for the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League, and grew up less than a two-hour drive north in St. Albert. "Both Sylvan [Lake] and Red Deer, there are just hockey fans all over the place. It's going to be a big night. There's going to be a lot of loud fans for the Calgary Flames [Wednesday]. It's going to be great.

"You can tell the atmosphere here. They're waiting to see us play and the Coyotes. That's a big step for us. We’re going to have to make sure we're going to give the fans what they want."

SYLVAN LAKE, Alberta -- One of the quirks of this town being equidistant between two NHL franchises is it becomes a bit of a battleground for fan allegiances.

When the Calgary Flames arrived in Sylvan Lake for the morning skate Wednesday in advance of a preseason game against the Arizona Coyotes as part of Kraft Hockeyville, there were plenty of Edmonton Oilers jerseys in the crowd.

Some of those Oilers fans were happy to see someone they have cheered for when the Coyotes arrived. Sam Gagner spent the past seven seasons with Edmonton before landing with the Coyotes after being traded twice in a span of hours, first to the Tampa Bay Lightning and then to Arizona.

"I saw a few Oilers jerseys but didn't see the backs of them," Gagner said when asked if he saw any of his jerseys in the crowd. "I got a few 'miss you's,' so it was nice to hear from Oilers fans but I'm excited about my next chapter."

SYLVAN LAKE, Alberta -- This small resort town in the middle of Alberta is almost perfectly placed between Edmonton and Calgary, and several NHL players past and present have spent their summers here.

One of them is Calgary Flames forward Curtis Glencross, who has had a home on the lake and spent time skating at the Sylvan Lake Arena and the Multiplex next door. He'll see a lot of familiar faces in the crowd Wednesday when the Flames play the Arizona Coyotes in a preseason game as part of Kraft Hockeyville (7 p.m. ET, NHL Network).

"I've got a place on the water here," Glencross said. "I haven't used it much the past couple summers but I let my parents move in this past spring. They're full-time residents now. It seems like it is better that way. I get to come and use it and don't have to do any yard work or stuff like that.

"It's going to be fun and exciting. It will be a small, close arena and there's going to be lots of kids here, lots of friends. It will definitely be great to play in a small barn and get back to the grassroots."

SYLVAN LAKE, Alberta -- Sylvan Lake is the home of 2014 Kraft Hockeyville, but it took more than one town to bring it there.

When the roof of the Sylvan Lake Arena collapsed in the wee hours of a snowy January morning, it left a hockey community out in the cold. Their neighbors were quick to bring them in, though.

"With a community our size, our arenas were booked 100 percent and then to be down a whole arena, we had to have our neighbors come to our rescue and offer ice time," town mayor Sean McIntyre said. "And not just communities 10 or 20 kilometers away, communities 100 kilometers away are hosting Sylvan Lake home games, which is absolutely unheard of."

But that's not where the contributions stopped.

SYLVAN LAKE, Alberta -- Calgary Flames alumnus Rhett Warrener didn't need to be from Sylvan Lake to realize the devastation that a collapsed roof of a small town rink can cause.

Warrener, hailing from Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, understands completely.

"I've heard of the boards going over but never the roof coming down," he said. "It does put a big damper in the winter. That's the place for everyone to go together and gather and have fun. That's where the memories start to me.

"To have that happen in your hometown would be pretty devastating. It's good they're getting it put back together."

SYLVAN LAKE, Alberta -- Under a cloudless sky with the shore rippling ever so slightly from the wake of a handful of boats out on the shimmering water, Sylvan Lake united together, much like they had in the months leading up to Sunday, to celebrate.

After months of anticipation, 2014 Kraft Hockeyville officially arrived to the small community situated between Edmonton and Calgary.

"There's been thousands and thousands of volunteer hours put into preparing this, preparing all the celebrations for Hockeyville and if you back up, preparing all the reveal parties and voting parties," town mayor Sean McIntyre said. "We've had a team of volunteers that have been giving so selflessly and endlessly to this and we owe all of these great events, all of these celebrations, to that hard work.

"It takes all kinds … it takes all kinds and now we get to celebrate with all of them which is the biggest reward."