BONNYVILLE — By the end of the second period on Friday night, the Pontiacs’ game against the Whitecourt Wolverines was evenly matched.
The score was 2-2 and the shots on net were 26 to 25, with just one more attempt on goal made by the Wolverines.
Blasting into the third period, the Pontiacs resembled lightning on the ice. But, the high intensity was once again equaled by the Wolverines. Within the first two-minutes of the last period, the Wolverines were able to put the puck in the back of the home team's net.
Following the Wolverines’ third goal, and what would be the last of the evening, two Pontiac players were sent to the penalty box shortly after. With the pressure rising on the home bench, the Pontiacs struggled to keep possession of the puck.
Growing frustration on the ice translated to players losing the puck to turn overs and having the puck stripped by the Wolverines.
As the final buzzer sounded, the score was 3-2 for the Wolverines.
Following the close match, Will Hilfiker, an assistant captain and right-side defenseman for the Pontiacs said, “We came out in the third period really strongly and that kind of trailed off as the period went on. You need to continue to be physical, press their D and get pucks in the deep end. I think we just trailed off physically and obviously suffered from that. That's something especially toward the end of the game that you need to keep up.”
He added, “There were times we got caught going south trying to control the puck. Sometimes you need to continue to go north and get the puck in their end and play in their end, because if you don’t sometimes you get stuck in your own end — for who knows how long.”
Having his sights set on Saturday’s game Hilfiker told Lakeland This Week, “We got a good group of guys, and I think we’ll be able to turn it around for the next game. We're going to have to keep that physicality up.”
And Hilfiker was right. Playing a second game against the Wolverines on Saturday evening at the R.J Lalonde Arena, the Pontiacs were able to push north and win 3-2 over the Whitecourt team.
Currently, the Bonnyville Pontiacs have three wins and one loss in the regular season.
The Pontiacs’ next game will take place on Saturday morning, Oct. 2 for an AJHL Showcase match at Centennial Regional Arena in Brooks, Alt. against the Blackfalds Bulldogs. The puck will drop at 10:30 a.m.
A game scheduled for Tuesday, against the Fort McMurray Oil Barons, has been cancelled due to arena construction at the Centerfire Place. The game has been postponed until Jan. 25.
