BRANDON MACLEOD – Nouvelle Staff.
There were smiles all around, as kids and parents of all ages stepped out on the ice of the R.J. Lalonde Arena Sunday for a chance to meet and skate with members of the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs.
The free public skate was organized by KidSport Bonnyville – an organization that provides families with funding that covers registration fees and other expense, so kids that would not otherwise have the opportunity to play a sport now can. KidSport Bonnyville chair Brad Ollen said this was a fun way to raise awareness about the organization and what it does.
“For a Sunday evening, we had a really good turnout and the kids and the players look like they’re having a really good time out there. It’s just a fun way to raise awareness about KidSport here in Bonnyville.” Some kids played tag with Pontiacs players and others practiced passing the puck with their role models. No matter what they were doing, everyone seemed to have fun doing it.
Pontiacs defenceman Sean Mostrom said “skating with the kids brings him back to the days he would skate with his role models back in Minnesota when he was a kid.” “This is a lot of fun,” he said. “It reminds me of when I would skate with the university varsity team. I looked up to all those guys back then. It’s nice to be able to give back to the fans that look up to us now.”