Warriors fans will find out Friday whether the Junior “A” hockey team will stay in West Kelowna.
An announcement is set to be made before the puck drops for the Warriors’ playoff game against Merritt.
A group of roughly 75 Warriors supporters rallied outside city hall on Tuesday, in the hope that city council would throw its support behind the team staying.
READ MORE: West Kelowna to rally in support of Warriors
The club’s pastor proposed that council once again look at placing Warriors national championship stickers on municipal vehicles, a plan that was previously voted down.
While council didn’t commit, politicians said they would vote on the proposal again at a later date.
Warriors owner Mark Cheyne is in talks with buyers in both Quesnel and Cranbrook, but local fans are hoping a group of Okanagan investors will be able to buy the team.
READ MORE: Efforts underway to keep the Warriors in West Kelowna
The Warriors were first put up for sale in mid-January and Cheyne was in talks with a Delta organization to buy the club.
But that deal fell through, giving local fans renewed hope.
READ MORE: West Kelowna Warriors might be on the move
“It’s been a rollercoaster,” long-time Warriors volunteer and rally organizer Larry McLean said. “A month ago the team was gone. Today there’s still hope.”
There’s one final push to find local buyers with time running out to keep the team in West Kelowna.
“We have some investors, we don’t know how many, but we need a few more,” Warriors marketing manager Alex Draper said.
“Time is so crucial right now. We’re so close.”
Team supporters say the best way to show your support for club is by simply showing up to games — if you don’t have a spare $100,000 to invest.
But, at the end of the day, Warriors staff say it will come down to dollars and cents, and investors do need to step up if the team has a shot staying in its current home.