What do you get when you cross a passion for hockey with a summer road-trip and a desire to do good?

If you’re 21-year-old Vancouver hockey blogger Richard Loat, you get Five Hole for Food, a 10-day traveling road hockey game that’s helping to replenish the shelves of Canada’s food banks.

The first ball dropped on June 29 in Montreal and after stops in Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, and Victoria, the final game will be played in Vancouver on July 9.

Loat aimed to raise one tonne of food (2,000 lbs) for Canadian food banks. Today, with three games left to go–it’s Edmonton’s turn tonight–his total haul is 1,899 lbs.

“I’m really excited to be heading back to my hometown to end the trip,” says the SFU Communications student in an e-mail from the road. “We’re playing in the heart of downtown Vancouver and couldn’t ask for a better location.

“We’re going to surpass the goal we set for ourselves and I can’t wait for Vancouver to step up and beat the totals raised in the other cities we’ve been to. It will really set the bar for next year when we embark on this all over again!”

The fun’s all free–just bring your favourite jersey, a stick and something tasty for your local food bank. You’re welcome at the post-game meet-ups too.

Ball-drop for the Edmonton game tonight is 5:30 pm at Deer Ridge Park (in St. Albert).

The Victoria game gets underway  July 8 at 5:30 pm at Topaz Park. In Vancouver the next day, game-time is 5:30 pm in the 800-block of Granville Street.

So go for it all you Sid-the-Kid wannabes out there: here’s your chance to relive that gold medal goal!