THE VIEW DOWN 897

The voice of the Lloydminster Bobcats John Spigott will offer his unique perspective on the league every Wednesday on TheRobbHunter.com

I have a simple answer for Mr. Hunter regarding the Bonnyville-Lloydminster rivalry.

The only reason it seemed as though the game didn’t have any spark was because so much of it was played on special teams.

Referee Gary Tremblay made sure that the team with the best power play decided the outcome of Saturday night’s game – and almost, surprisingly – it was the Bobcats. 4 for 12 on the power play for the ‘Cats ensured they would take the game, and I for one certainly cannot emphasize enough how much Jared Jagow has meant to the Bobcats offensively.

I have no doubt that if Jagow played a full 62-game schedule in the AJHL, he would have between 80 and 90 points. He is that skilled. Jagow isn’t afraid to mix it up either, as the Pontiacs really started to challenge him physically as that game wore on. But for being a smaller, skilled forward, he doesn’t shy away from physical play.

How much do the Pontiacs miss Steven Seigo on the point and Greg Hennessey in front of the net? Wow. No disrespect to Tyler Henry, Shawn Bates, or Matthew Register, but the Bonnyville power play is a lot less terrifying without Seigo. The Pontiacs have one of the top power plays in the AJHL, but with nearly five consecutive minutes on the power play between the end of the second and the start of the third, the Pontiacs mustered only one goal, and they were up five on three for about half of that, and in eight chances total they often looked lost. It does help that when the Pontiacs were threatening, they were stonewalled by goaltender Calvin Bartel, who was outstanding.

A couple of moves worth noting in Bobcats Country this week as well, as the team traded Dan Hillman to Kindersley to free up another import card down the road. Tough to see Hillman go, as he was a good mucker and a good kid, but those import cards are too valuable. Worth noting that’s three players the Bobcats have traded to Kindersley in the last month.

Two players on board as well, as the Bobcats acquired a pair of 18-year-old Calgary forwards in Logan Gabel and defenceman Jeremie Perron. A curious trade, in that the Bobcats didn’t give up a thing to get a forward with 17 points on a terrible team, and a defenceman who had 12 points. Gabel will make his debut tonight against Spruce Grove, while Perron won’t play until this weekend in Fort McMurray.