It was a hard-fought battle, but in the end, the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs came out victorious.
Regardless of being short defensemen, the Pontiacs managed a 3-0 win over the Grande Prairie Storm on Saturday, Feb. 24 at the R.J. Lalonde Arena.
The team put everything on the line for their final regular season game, knowing their place in the playoffs was in jeopardy.
“Our goal for the last game of the season, was leaving a good impression for our fans,” said head coach Rick Swan. “We had to make sure that we challenged ourselves to play the right way and leave a good impression.”
Keeping that mindset while on the ice, the Pontiacs started the scoring off early in the first period, with Bobby Young finding nothing but net.
Isaac Saniga put one between the posts in the second frame, followed by the Pontiacs' third goal by Adam Panacci.
The pressure was on for the Storm to put themselves on the board, but regardless of their efforts they failed to capitalize.
Their energy was taken out on Saniga during the second period, when he took a hard hit and was rushed off the ice and later to hospital with a knee injury.
“These guys live which each other for eight months. They build a strong bond... That's the passion in hockey, by letting them know there is going to be a response that they can't take liberties with our players,” Swan explained.
That retort, came in the form of Adam Sandstrom, who was quick to show the opposing team what happens when you mess with a fellow Pontiac.
“That's the mentality of Sandstrom... Though we loose a good player, in the end, we let the opponent know that that's Saniga and you can't do that,” Swan expressed.
Ultimately, Sandstrom was removed from the game for fighting, but the local team wouldn't let that slow them down.
They ended the night with a shutout, and no one is happier than goalie Justin Travis.
“He's played so well for us. He got into a little bit of a funk and put the pressure on himself to try and get us out of that funk. Today, he just went out there, had fun, and played,” noted Swan. “You have to have fun and you have to just get out there and play.”
Travis agreed with his coach that he had hit a bit of a snag, but is back on his a-game after Saturday night's win.
“The past few games we were on a slump. Maybe I was thinking too much and getting into my own head. I knew that tonight (Saturday), I just needed to relax and play my game. I thought I did a great job and so did the guys in front of me. It feels awesome,” he said.
The team learned that regardless of structure, what's important is having fun, being there for each other, and keeping your head in the game.
Swan said, “The guys showed that if we play the right way, we can be pretty darn competitive.”
The Pontiacs' next game is March 2 against Drayton Valley, where they will kick-off the first round of the playoff series.
