FRIDAY

Bonnyville Pontiacs at 9:48 - Michael Westfall for Holding (2 Min.)
Bonnyville Pontiacs at 11:42 - Ross Herzog for Slashing (2 Min.)
Bonnyville Pontiacs at 14:58 - Ashton Hewson for Tripping (2 Min.)
Bonnyville Pontiacs at 16:06 - Matthew Register for Slashing (2 Min.)
Bonnyville Pontiacs at 19:08 - Craig Cuthbert for Holding (2 Min.)

That was the story Wednesday night in Brooks. The Bandits league leading home ice powerplay went to work and 3 for 8 later the Pontiacs were down 5-1 and unable to come back.

Dru Cotterill didn't look too out of place playing forward. We might see that again before the season is out.

The official did a decent job as most of the calls were deserved but a diving call on Shawn Bates? When did the league institute a crack down on diving? With all the embellishing I've see this year, from the Pontiacs AND the opposition, and there hasn't been a single diving call all year. There was even more diving in that game that didn't get called.

Jeff Dort was out of the lineup with symptoms of a concussion and has now gone home to Saskatchewan and is not expected to return.

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As a Canucks fan I have been asked more than once in the last 24 hours what I think of the Mats Sundin signing. I must say I've had a difficult time being a Canucks fan in the last little while. I've discovered I'm a self flagellating Canucks fan. I miss the "glory days" with Ed Jovanovski, Matt Cooke, Jarko Ruutu, Geoff Sanderson and of course Dan Cloutier. No 5 goal lead was safe. The Canucks could find a way to blow any game. You couldn't miss a minute of the action because you would never know when Marek Malik might forget to take his guy in front of the net allowing the flames to win a playoff series. This team might be winning more games but they've lost the excitment.

My favorite Vancouver Canucks player right now is Kyle Wellwood. To me, he symbolizes all that I have grown to love about the Canucks, at least in years past. He can be the best player on the ice some shifts and completely invisible for some games. He even showed up out of shape for camp. I would like to nominate him to participate in the NHL's All Star skills contest where they hand out style points for their shootout competition. Then I would suggest to Kyle that for comic effect he takes his penalty shot while eating a doughnut.

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Spending a week on the road with the boys allows you to learn more about what kind of people they are away from the rink. Turns out Tyler Pugh and I are both stock market junkies so this link is for him. Great predictions over the last few years.

http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/1401-starting-in-2006-peter-schiff-goes-prescient

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In Canmore, Morgan MacLean had a pair, Carter Rowney a goal and two assists while Blake Clement picked up three helpers as the Storm down the Eagles 5-2. Tyler "Double-Double" Horton and Lee Reimer both score for the Eagles. It's sad but the two goals against allowed by the Storm actually raised Chad Carder's goals against average.

In Olds, 58 shots later the Grizzly's score 3 third period goals to come from behind and squeek one out agains the Calgary Royals. Mark Friesen is going to start to wonder why the AJHL season is 124 games long when he realizes how many shots he's faced. Curtis deBruyn had two, including the winner, for Olds while Matt Maratz scored his 12th. Spencer Copp and Evan Warner both tallied for the Royals.

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Voice of the Bobcats John Spigott is waiting for his team to win five in a row before he sends up another View Down 897. I wonder if I just jinxed them as they've won their last four.