The Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs made their annual road trip south this past week, staying together in Calgary, playing four games in five days, and picking up five of a possible eight points.
The Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs made their annual road trip south this past week, staying together in Calgary, playing four games in five days, and picking up five of a possible eight points.
"Picking up points at this time of year is crucial," said Pontiacs associate coach Rick Swan. "But more than that, this road trip was a chance for us to do some team building and bonding."
The Pontiacs big old bus left Bonnyville early Wednesday morning and travelled straight to downtown Calgary, where the team would spend the next four nights.
The long trip south may have played a role in Bonnyville's slow start Wednesday, but once the game against the Calgary Mustangs got going, the Pontiacs seemed to find their legs.
It was 2-0 for the Mustangs after the first period, when the Pontiacs started storming back.
Bonnyville scored one in the second and then one in the third to tie it up and send it to overtime.
Then it was up to Pontiacs captain Locke Muller. With just over 20 seconds left in the extra frame, Muller came streaking down the ice and sniped a shot top shelf, giving the Pontiacs the overtime win to start the road trip off on the right foot.
The next night in Olds, the Pontiacs again found themselves down 2-0. But Bonnyville again clawed its way back, tying it up in the second period on a powerplay goal by forward Marc Dubeau.
With no scoring in the third period and overtime, the game went to a shootout. Neither team could break the deadlock, until Grizzlys forward and former Pontiac Damien Kulynych put one past Pontiacs goalie Stephen Klein, who had made 36 saves up to that point.
After a day off to rest, the Pontiacs were back at it Saturday in Calgary, taking on the Canucks.
The lopsided affair went the Pontiacs' way, as Bonnyville out-shot the Canucks 46-18, while outscoring Calgary 5-1. Pontiacs forward Ty Carey led the way with two goals and an assist, while rookie forward Alex Smith, who returned to the lineup after being benched for two games, netted two goals as well.
It was a quick turnaround for Bonnyville, as the team checked out Sunday morning and travelled to Drumheller for an afternoon affair against the Dragons.
The Pontiacs just didn't seem to have the jump they needed to wrap up the southern road trip with a win.
The game was scoreless through two periods, with the Pontiacs managing just 17 shots to the Dragons 29.
The Dragons then began to pull away in the third. Drumheller scored early in the period on the powerplay to take the 1-0 lead, but Bonnyville responded with a powerplay goal of its own to tie it up.
The Dragons scored another powerplay goal late in the period before adding an empty netter to close the deal.
Despite losing Sunday, Swan said the team learned a lot over the course of a week.
"We were able to learn a lot about ourselves and about one another and I think that is helping us to become more accountable and in the end I think that is what we need to become the elite team we know we can be."
Although the Pontiacs returned home late Sunday, they will be right back on the road, playing in Sherwood Park Wednesday, before finally playing two games in front of the home crowd this weekend.
Saturday's game against the Whitecourt Wolverines is scheduled for 7 p.m., while Sunday's game against the Drayton Valley Thunder starts at 6 p.m.
