The No. 6-ranked Concordia Stingers will host their cross-town rivals, the No. 4-ranked Montreal Carabins, in the 19th annual Montreal Shrine Bowl at Concordia Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m.
The event, which will be televised by RDS, is expected to attract the biggest Stinger crowd of the season.
Concordia heads into the contest with a 4-1 record, and Montreal also boasts a 4-1 record. The game is pivotal for both teams. The winner is in a good position to finish in second place in the conference or higher and will likely host a playoff game. The loser will probably finish in third place and have to travel in the post-season.
While the competition on the field will be fierce, the Stingers showed their softer side on a visit to the Montreal Shriners Hospital for Children on Tuesday morning. Six team captains and Buzz, the Stinger mascot, spent time visiting the children - talking, signing autographs and offering gifts.
Since its inception in the mid-80s, the Montreal Shrine Bowl has raised $520,000 for the hospital. This year organizers hope to add another $40,000 to that total.
Shriners Hospitals for Children are a network of 22 hospitals in the United States, Canada and Mexico that have provided free medical care to more than 625,000 children under the age of 18.
The Montreal hospital is a 40-bed pediatric orthopedic centre providing comprehensive care to children at no charge. It accepts and treats patients with routine and complex orthopedic problems, utilizing the latest treatments and technology available in pediatric orthopedics.
