Over 400 Pontiac residents packed the stands at the Centre de Loisirs des Draveurs, in Fort-Coulonge on Tuesday night, as école secondaire Sieur de Coulonge’s hockey team faced-off against the Flying Fathers.

Organized by St. Peter’s Parish and ESSC, the event was attended by young and old, including 81 kids among the 411 present.

Different than a regular game of ice hockey, this one consisted of two 30-minute periods, interrupted with a bunch of comedic antics on behalf of the Flying Fathers.

Among the many skits included were cream pies to people’s faces, a literal puck on a string and even one player bribing an official to move a face-off from one end of the ice to the other.

There was even a clown on the ice, dressed in a baggy red and yellow jumpsuit, with a multi-coloured wig on his head, sporting a joker mask – like in Batman.

The clown, portrayed by Matt Romain, defenseman for the Pontiac Senior Comets, was a constant cause of disturbance on the ice from start to finish.

Not playing for any team in specific, he played a rather neutral role, roaming mostly the perimeter of the ice, tripping some of the kids with his stick and tugging their jerseys to make them fall over. He rarely took full control of the puck. But when he did, he usually flipped it to the opposing team or turned the play in the opposite direction.

“He was a s—t disturber, that’s for sure,” said Stéphane Paré, ESSC’s head coach, with a smile. “But he did a good job keeping it fun for the kids. You never really knew what was going to happen next.”

It was a game of back and forth non-stop action and little defense, in which both teams started off by trading goals, finishing the first half deadlocked at 2-2.

The Flying Fathers held the majority of puck possession and time on attack throughout the game, however, the high schoolers held their own.

But, in the second half, things began to slip away from the kids. Midway through the period with the kids leading 4-3, the Flying Fathers scored a few unanswered goals eventually making it a 10-4 game with under 10 minutes left. The high schoolers responded with a few goals of their own, but it wasn’t enough in the end, giving the win to the priests.

Benoit Beland, a forward for ESSC, said he couldn’t believe his eyes, stepping outside the dressing room, at the sight of the monstrous crowd in attendance.

“It was so fun. A lifetime experience for sure. I felt nervous when I saw that there were so many people in the crowd, but I was excited to play in front of them,” Beland said. “I would love to do it again if I get the chance.”

Despite the loss, Beland said it wasn’t winning or scoring a goal that mattered in this one. It was more so about bringing the people of the Pontiac closer together and putting smiles on their faces.

“It’s really important for the community, especially for the elderly people,” said Beland. “It brings people together and it’s so good playing with so many people cheering for us.”

Paré, who also plays for the Pontiac Senior Comets, said he was happy to see his players enjoy something that many kids never get to experience in their hockey lives.

“For a lot of these kids, this might be the only time they get to play in front of this many people,” said Paré. “It’s a great experience for them to have all these people cheering for them. So, it’s good to see them have that, and to see their smiles and them having fun is the best part.”

Father Réal Ouelette, who took a pie in the face, after singing the national anthem before the game, said bringing the Flying Fathers back to the Pontiac, after years of absence, was a no-brainer when he found out it was a possibility. The only question he had was who would they play against.

“In the past, they had played here, so we thought about the idea of bringing them back,” said Ouellette. “So, I asked, ‘Who do you want to play against?’ Then, after looking at a few options, we thought about the kids at the school.”

According to Julie Martin, the principal of the school, the event raised $2,735 from entry tickets sales ad the 50/50 draw, which will be used contribute to ESSC and the church.

Founded in the 1960’s, the Flying Fathers is a hockey team consisting of priests from across Canada, who entertain small communities with humour and hockey, to raise money for charities, said Ouellette.

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