THE VIEW DOWN 897

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

First off, I highly recommend heading over to Dustin Neilson’s MOB Blog and checking out his top calls of the first half of the season, despite the fact the first one came at the expense of the Bobcats. For how excited Neilson was on that call, I was just as depressed. There may or may not have been a headset hurled at the wall in the Thickwood Heights Arena after the Bobcats blew a 4-2 lead with under four minutes to go and lost in double overtime.

The current poll on this website asks who your favourite AJHL referee is, and I didn’t realize Troy Winterhalt’s mother was an avid reader of therobbhunter.com. Winterhalt has one vote on that poll, which is one too many – just ask Drayton Valley head coach Jeff Battah. The Bobcats beat the Thunder 3-2 last night in a game the Thunder led 2-0 early in the second. Now, full credit to Battah and the Thunder, because this is a much improved team from the one that was in Lloydminster and Bonnyville about two and a half weeks ago. The Thunder came out and took it to the Bobcats in the first period, but in the second period, Winterhalt really got involved. The Thunder took six minor penalties in the second, including five in a row at one point that gave the Bobcats two five on three powerplays, and the Bobcats made Drayton pay, connecting three times in the second on their way to going 3 for 9 on the man advantage. Battah got the heave from Winterhalt in the second for arguing calls, and I couldn’t blame him. The officiating in last night’s game was atrocious, and it’s something fans in both Lloydminster and Bonnyville have come to expect when Winterhalt dons the armbands. Very late calls, phantom calls behind the play, and borderline even-up calls are all in the repertoire, and they were in abundance at the Civic Centre last night. Robb and I see Winterhalt more than anyone else in this league, and for my money, there isn’t a more inconsistent or infuriating – or dare I say worse - official in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

The Bobcats are in a crucial stretch before Christmas with four games remaining – two in Drayton Valley this weekend, then a pair of home games next week against St. Albert and the Calgary Canucks. Bobcats brass is cautiously optimistic, but personally I would have to say anything less than six out of eight points would have to be considered a disappointment. Especially when you look at the schedule in January – 13 games in all, with 9 on the road.

Two local boys continue to play very well for the Bobcats. Brody Foster has seven goals in the last 10 games, while David Dziurzynski has been moved to the top line between Adam Matlock and Brendan Turner, and has eight points in his last six games, including a pair of goals last night.