MontrealAlouettes.com
MONTREAL – When the Alouettes visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in unfamiliar Guelph territory for the first time this season on Saturday, they’ll be able to count on a tour guide among their ranks.
While the Ticats have had just eight home games so far this season to settle in and get used to calling their temporary digs at the University of Guelph’s Alumni Stadium home, Alouettes guard Ryan Bomben meanwhile has had four years.
The Burlington, ON native suited up collegiately with the University of Guelph Gryphons from 2006 to 2009, and the former CIS Ontario Conference First-Team All-Star will make his homecoming in front of friends and family this Saturday in the Southwestern Ontario city.
“It’s great to have the fans’ support when we’re on the road. I’m not sure how much it’ll affect my game personally, but it’s great,” admitted the six-foot-four 305-pounder.
Here’s a hint. Saturday’s game is also the Alouettes’ annual Fan Train game with more than 300 Alouettes fans flocking to Guelph from Montreal, a game in which the Alouettes hold a 9-1 record since 2003 when backed by their home-away-from-home crowd.
TICKETS: 2013 FAN TRAIN TO GUELPH »
Nevertheless, Bomben knows that adjustments will be necessary.
“When I was there it was still a natural surface, but it’s turf now,” explained the sociology major. “The scenery will be familiar, but it’s tough to say if I’ll still have an edge.”
One thing Bomben can count on is big game experience in what’s currently the CFL’s smallest facility, having played for the home side in the 2007 Yates Cup, the CIS Ontario Conference’s championship game.
That experience will come in handy on Saturday when he plays his biggest game yet in Guelph, with a home playoff game on the line for the Alouettes.
