BONNYVILLE – Playing in Spruce Grove, the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs came up short in the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s North Division Final on April 14.
It was the first time in eight years that the Pontiacs have reached the third round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, their playoff run would be cut short in Game 5 in their series against the Spruce Grove Saints.
Friday night’s game in Spruce Grove couldn’t have been a closer match with the Pontiacs taking the season-ending loss in overtime, with a final score of 2-1.
“Honestly, I'm proud of them because we battled through a lot of adversity,” said Pontiacs’ head coach Mario Pouliot. “I saw some players playing with big injuries and they kept pushing and kept going out there playing for the logo.”
In the Bonnyville-Spruce Grove series, three of the five games ended with the Saints pulling ahead by just one point.
“I can’t reproach anyone out there. We put up the shots, but it was a matter of finishing because we [do] generate good chances. And honestly, we were playing like warriors and I'm very proud of the boys,” Pouliot told Lakeland This Week.
At the RJ Lalonde Arena on Tuesday and Wednesday night, the Pontiacs showed their grit to the crowd of over 1,000 fans in Games 3 and 4.
“We pushed them very, very hard. We were pushing and we were believing until the end,” said the head coach.
In Game 5, no puck found its way to the back of the net in either the first or third period.
The Saints would score early in the second period during a power play, but Pontiacs’ forward Nicolas Beaudoin would later return the point with a hand from Max Seguin. Unfortunately, the point put up by Beaudoin would be the very last of the season for the Pontiacs.
“There's not much to say after a loss,” said Matteo Giampa, the Pontiacs' centre forward. “We worked hard, we played a really good game. We just didn't come out on the right side.”
With the season on the line, Giampa said the team went into Game 5 with focus, hard work and a dash of desperation.
“It's really us against us out there. But Spruce is a really good team. They're a tough team, they work really hard, and they have got a lot of depth up front and on the back end,” he acknowledged.
He said the Pontiacs playoff run and especially their series against the Saints tested the team's mental strength.
“Obviously, it's a little sad right now just because we lost the game, but tomorrow is a new day. The next day is a new day, and the sun is going to come up tomorrow,” said Giampa.
The Ontario-native has one more year to compete at the junior level before he heads off to Buffalo, New York, to play for the Canisius College Golden Griffins, a NCAA Division 1 school.
