BONNYVILLE - The Alberta Junior Hockey League’s (AJHL) Bonnyville Pontiacs crushed the Calgary Canucks 7-1 on Jan. 14 in a lop-sided affair. Coming off a two-game losing streak, the Pontiacs won in convincing fashion on home ice.
The game featured seven different goal scorers for the Pontiacs, and 10 players in total had points.
Forward Braydon Vandenbilche got his first goal of the season by scoring with just 13 seconds to spare near the end of the third period and Pontiac’s goaltender Kyle Hagan got his first career start and win, making 25 stops.
Although the game started off quiet during the first half of the first period, the game soon got out of hand for the Canucks. Pontiac’s defenseman Dante Saciliano set the tone early with a power play goal 14 minutes into the period.
After Pontiacs’ captain Nicolas Beaudoin scored halfway through the second period, the Pontiacs found another gear by scoring five unanswered goals afterwards.
The Calgary Canucks had an abysmal power play going zero for five and could not seem to capitalize on any of their chances. The Pontiacs out shot the Canucks 40-26.
Puppy Mania
The Pontiacs partnered with the Bonnyville Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (SPCA) for their Puppy Mania event that showcased a petting area for visitors to pet dogs and offered information about adopting dogs in need of homes.
“Pontiacs are not-for-profit, so we like to try and support as many of the other not-for-profit organizations in the community, and the SPCA is one that's near and dear to a lot of people,” says Pontiacs Associate General Manager Neil Langridge.
The Town of Bonnyville has lots of dog lovers, including Langridge himself, who has a 150-pound Mastiff of his own. Langridge admits he never wants to see any stray dogs or cats suffer – especially in extremely cold weather.
“We know the SPCA does a phenomenal job and a phenomenal service in our community, and we just want to try and raise awareness and support for them,” Langridge adds.
