Mackenzie took the silver medal in the 2011 Kraft Hockeyville contest.
On Saturday night Conception Bay South, Nfld. was named the winner of the annual competition. Conception Bay South received 995,386 votes, ahead of Mackenzie which garnered 652,442 votes.
Mackenzie, located 175 km north of Prince George, finished ahead of St. Raymond, Que.; Bently, Alta. and Wolfe Island, Ont.
The winner was announced live on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada during the first intermission of the Edmonton at Vancouver game. CBC broadcast live from each of the five finalist communities.
"I'm... proud of what the town has done," Mackenzie Hockeyville organizer Steve Rooke said. "The rest is just extra."
Rooke has reason to be proud.
Mackenzie has a population of approximately 4,500 people. Conception Bay South has a population of 24,000 and is a suburb of St. John's, Nfld.
Mackenzie was hard-hit by the downturn in the forestry sector in 2008. Mill closures put as many as 1,600 workers out of a job in the forestry town.
The Hockeyville campaign has been a rallying point for the recovering community.
"It's been pretty phenomenal," Rooke said. "Everybody here is having a great time."
The town hosted a day of events and celebration leading up to the announcement.
"We've had some hockey clinics. Russ Courtnall, an NHL alumni, is on the ice skating with the kids," Rooke said Saturday afternoon. "We had a parade through town that was pretty amazing. This evening our main event is the Fort Ware Kwadacha First Nation [hockey team] verses some of our gentlemen's league players."
In additional there was live music, road hockey and other entertainment happening throughout town, Rooke said.
"We've got at least 500 people in town now through the various venues," he said. "Everything's happening in the spirit square and arena."
Conception Bay South, as the winning community, will receive $100,000 to upgrade a community arena and host a preseason NHL game between the Ottawa Senators and Atlanta Thrashers on Sept. 26.
