The effort was there, but the results weren't for the Bonnyville Pontiacs, as they went 1-2 against the top two teams in the Viterra AJHL North Division.
The effort was there, but the results weren't for the Bonnyville Pontiacs, as they went 1-2 against the top two teams in the Viterra AJHL North Division.
Pontiacs beat up on Barons
With eight players out of the lineup due to educational commitments, the Pontiacs pulled off a gutsy road win against the Fort McMurray Oil Barons, on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
"We were down eight guys, we were extremely short staffed. For us to give a complete 60-minutes of effort was great," said head coach Rick Swan.
Lucas Thorne continued his recent torrid pace, netting his 13th of the season just over five-minutes in, with assists going to Bobby Young and Zach Aston.
Fort McMurray battled back immediately. First, Curtis Roach tied the contest before Shane Fraser put the Oil Barons on top 2-1 heading into intermission.
After a scoreless second period, the Pontiacs came out hard in the third. With a mix of tough physical play, and a mindset to get pucks on net, they were able to erase the deficit. Just under four-minutes in, Carson Erhardt finished a play started by Joel Ray and Luke Albert.
Later in the period, after constant offensive pressure, the Pontiacs would find the game winner. Olson Werenka capitalized on captain Charlie Gawlicki's rebound, tapping the puck into a yawning cage. Affiliate call-up Jonah Henderson received the secondary-assist on the play.
The game ended int eh Pontiacs favor with a final score of 3-2.
Pontiacs look like Jekyl and Hyde
A horrendous first period was too much to overcome against the top team in the north division.
The Pontiacs welcomed the Spruce Grove Saints for an interdivisional matchup on Saturday, Jan. 27.
Whether it was the team's festivities from the night before, or nerves from playing against lethal Saints, the Pontiacs weren't prepared when the puck dropped.
"They were off and they didn't have any emotion. I know last night was an exciting one, with our Wayne Lee hypnotist fundraiser. The parents were here and everyone was hyped, but ultimately they're athletes committed to being here, and part of that is being ready to play," said Swan.
The Saints wasted no time beginning an onslaught, with five unanswered goals in the first 14-minutes of play.
As a result of the early deficit, Pontiacs goaltender Justin Travis was given the rest of the game off. Backup Dario Latessa earned his first action with the team, and was solid, allowing one goal on 21 shots.
Both teams would strike once in the second, with Pontiacs forward Kash Rasmussen benefitting from passing by Adam Panacci and Thorne, before Josh Harris restored the five goal lead for the Oil Barons.
With the score 6-1 headed into the final, Swan and the coaching staff gave a clear message to the players.
"We told them, if that's the standard of play you want to set for yourselves, than fine, that's what you are. But if not, you have the choice to raise that standard. They had a choice and they did it. It was a tale of two teams," said Swan.
Albert gave Bonnyville a glimmer of hope, making the score 6-2 on an unassisted effort less than 30-seconds into the final frame.
Thorne capitalized under one-minute later, pulling his team within three. Shortly after, Gawlicki brought the score to 6-4, and made things interesting for the Saints.
"We were sleeping early. We have to make sure we're ready from the get-go," Thorne explained. "Nobody was happy with our play. We all had to look ourselves in the mirror and decide how we wanted to play. It really took a team effort to have that pushback."
Thanks to a few posts and a couple of outstanding saves by Saints netminder Ethan Crotty, Bonnyville was unable to bounce back, and fell to 16-24-7 on the season with the 6-4 loss.
Barons fight back
The Fort McMurray Oil Barons exacted revenge on the Pontiacs for a loss earlier in the week.
For the second night in a row, one of the top teams in the AJHL visited the R.J. Lalonde arena for a showdown with Bonnyville on Sunday, Jan. 28.
Despite a strong effort with a short bench, the Barons seemed to be one step ahead throughout all three periods.
"We played an old team with six 20-year-olds and there was no secret in their strategy against our young group. They tried to physically dominate us and create wear and tear. We ended up with eight forwards and five defenceman. We were gassed and exhausted," detailed Swan.
Sour from a loss earlier in the weak, the Oil Barons came out and bashed their way to a 2-0 lead. Will Conley opened the scoring in the first, before Reed Morrison continued momentum in the second.
Thirty seconds after the 2-0 goal, Ray showed signs of life for the Pontiacs, pulling them within one. The excitement on the bench was short-lived as the Barons re-established their two goal lead before the period was out.
With 51-seconds left in the game, Panacci made it interesting, finding the back of the net and bringing the score to 3-2.
Despite the late game heroics, the Pontiacs were unable to come back, and dropped their second game.
"It's a son of a gun. It's frustrating to lose another game but if it's any consolation, they put in a hard days work," expressed Swan.
The team will also send footage into the league regarding a first period hit that forced Isaac Saniga to leave the game.
With four officials patrolling the ice, Swan was not happy the call was missed on what he described as a blatant interference penalty and a headshot.
"That was blatant interference. You've got four refs on the ice, and Isaac never even had the puck. I talked to them, and it seems to be the same story: they didn't see it," Swan recalled. "There's a concern here from us. We now have to send another clip into the league that says 'hey, your guys didn't see it but this is another infraction that's compromising the safety of our game.'"
