TUESDAY

The 6-1 loss in Lloydminster doesn't get any easier to handle 3 days later.

Is the rivalry between Lloydminster and Bonnyville starting to lose some of it's luster? Neither team looked all that intense on Saturday night. I expect we will see more emotion at the RJ Lalonde tomorrow night when Sherwood Park comes to town. Now the Cru and the Pontiacs played a hard fought first round playoff series last year that went the maximum five games, the two teams are closer together in the standings and the CJHL continues to rank Sherwood Park #1 in the country and if you can't get up for the best team in the country then perhaps you need a heart monitor.

I did a quick and likely inaccurate survey around the office with a question of "what was the most memorable Pontiacs game this year?" with the follow up being "Do you remember the two games Lloyd played at the RJ so far this season?". The answers I got for the first question ranged from "The game against that Calgary team with all the fights in the third" to "that game where they lost in overtime to Camrose was pretty good even though they lost" to "when Sherwood Park was here, can't wait for the game tomorrow, should be a good'er". I had one person who remembered a game against Lloyd who said "Didn't Shawn Bates score like four goals against them back at the start of the season or something? I remember Bates getting four... was that against Lloyd?". Yes, that was against the Bobcats.

So why is the rivalry not what it could be? Is it the lack of a recent playoff matchup? There hasn't really been an excessively dirty play to get the players and fans mad at one another. I don't notice many Bobcats fans making the trip up from Lloyd to the RJ to get into it vocally with Pontiacs fans, has life just been too busy in the Northeast part of the province for the past 3 years? Does the Pontiacs Blogger not get into enough with the play by play guy from Lloyd? I mean, heck, he even lets the Lloyd guy blog on his sight on Wednesdays. What do you think needs to happen. Let me know.

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For those of you from out of town or in town who just haven't been following it the Bonnyville Bingo Association has had to move buildings because the place they were set up is being moved. The Bonnyville Pontiacs organization works many Bingo's to help support the club and it was a bit of a concern, on behalf of the Pontiacs and the 36 other community groups that need the funding, the Bingo Association wouldn't find a place to move. Long story short the new Bingo hall is almost set to go as they have been putting the finishing touches on it all weekend and will continue to do so right up until tomorrow night.

I received this e-mail Monday morning and was given permission to share it.

Good morning Robb
The Bonny. Bingo Assoc. closed one chapter & turned a new page in relocating to the Centennial Bldg. ( Agri. Plex. ) last night . They will be opening up Wend. Dec. 3rd. Free coffee all
night & a Bonanza Special will happen . The 36 community
groups that form the Assoc. needed help with the move . At 9:30 last night they got it .. " when the going gets tough the tough get going " The entire Jr. A team showed up including staff , Chad , Ryan & Jimmy . B&R provided tractor - trailer , Matt Wojec came out of holidays to drive & help Marcel Robinson Supervisor & equip. operator . Century Steak loaned us a cube - van . Bingo hall staff Roger , Dave & Roger stayed as well as Pontiac Team Bingo members John , Cora , Doris , John & Rose . It continues today . They were all incredible , just great . They are winners . I could hear the players talking , they were happy to help , understood the importance of that help and were saying to one another " I don't want you to follow me , but I want to lead by example " It gave me chills . Go Pontiacs

Pontiacs Team Bingo
Coach & G.M.
John Smith

PS.. I'm still recruiting . looking for those that want to help make a difference .

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Portage College's annual food drive is underway and they will be collecting non perishable food items at the game tomorrow night.

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I also just got off the phone with former Pontiacs forward Matt Cook. Matt just won a gold medal for Canada at the World Sledge Hockey Championships. My interview with Matt will air during the first intermission of Friday night's game from Sherwood Park.