The Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre (LCLC) in Bridgewater, NS. Photo: CKBW Files.
The Mayors of Bridgewater and the District of Lunenburg are both lamenting at the recent announcement that the South Shore Lumberjacks will be leaving the community following ownership’s decision to move them to New Brunswick.
Bridgewater Mayor David Mitchell says the town did everything in it’s capacity to help the team succeed during its time here and their departure will be felt by many. “We helped them in various ways, I think financially we assisted them more than any other community with a team so it was certainly disappointing to hear,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell believes Bridgewater and the surrounding community have what it needs to support a high-quality hockey team, especially with facilities offered by the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre (which is owned by the Town).
The LCLC will now have to deal with the loss of the Jacks who rented the facility for practices and games, though Mitchell says financially the loss of the Jacks will not have any impact on the facilities operations. He also says the Jacks were able to collect a larger revenue share from the gate than most MHL franchises.
MODL Mayor Carolyn Bolivar Getson, who is known to frequently attend games also weighed in on the loss.
“As a long-time supporter of the team and their billet family program, I am deeply disappointed at the decision by the management of the South Shore Lumberjacks to move the team. Their departure will leave a void in our community and a sense of loss for the many volunteers, fans, and LCLC staff who have supported them over the years. It is truly disheartening to see them go, but I know the LCLC team are working hard to recruit high-level hockey back to the arena.”
