The Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs didn’t have the start to the second round of playoffs they had hoped for.
They kicked off the seven-game series with back-to-back losses against the Spruce Grove Saints at the R.J. Lalonde Arena over the weekend.
Head coach Rick Swan said the Pontiacs are going to focus on one period and shift at a time going forward.
“We certainly have to make those guys start 200-feet from our net, and our guys felt that they deserved a better fate, which is a great thing. They’re upset because we felt that we should have split the series, and that’s better than being deflated,” he said. “I think now we’ve got a good feeling, although we didn’t win the games, but we’ve got a feeling that... the momentum can shift.”
Pontiacs fall in game one
The first matchup went to the Saints when they bested the Pontiacs 5-2 on Friday, March 15.
Neither team managed to find the scoreboard until the Saints were handed a slashing penalty with less than two minutes in the first frame. Pontiac Lucas Thorne took advantage of the extra man and found the back of the net.
The Saints answered with three of their own in the second, putting them in the lead 3-1.
Extending the gap even further, Spruce Grove scored once more before Pontiac Jeremy Gervais capitalized.
The Saints added another point before the buzzer, ending the night with a 5-2 victory.
Grayson Constable looks for an open man during the Saturday, March 16 game the Spruce Grove Saints in the best of seven series.
Pontiacs lose in double overtime
Fans were biting their nails in the stands as they watched Bonnyville face-off against Spruce Grove in game two of the series, a matchup that pushed both teams to the max.
On Saturday, March 16, the Pontiacs played a game that Swan described as a good response to the previous night’s loss.
“We didn’t get the success that we were looking for, but we know it’s a seven-game series. We know what we want, so that’s what we’re going to focus on,” he said.
Pontiac defenceman Victor Polowy noted, “It was probably our most competitive game this season... We really deserved a better fate there. We had a little bit of a lapse in the second period, but other than that, we played really strong throughout the entire game.”
The home team’s efforts fell short and Spruce Grove went home with a 4-3 win.
The Pontiacs came out of the gate hungry for a victory. Bobby Young was first to find the scoreboard 10 minutes into the game.
During a powerplay, Ethan Leyer got the puck past the Saints’ goaltender.
Pontiac Cayden Kraus scored one of his own, also finding success on a powerplay less than a minute later.
Before the frame was through, Spruce Grove added a point to their side.
Heading into the second frame, Bonnyville held the lead 3-1, but their success didn’t last.
The Saints tied it up with back-to-back goals, and sent the game into overtime.
Regardless of their efforts, neither team capitalized during the first few minutes.
The Saints solidified their win in double overtime.
Bobby Young chases after the puck behind the net.
Pontiac forward Scott McKenzie described the loss as tough for the team.
“I feel like that goal at the end was just a heartbreaker, going off a guy’s skate,” he recalled.
After falling to the Saints the way they did, Polowy noted it lit a spark in the team ahead of the rest of the series.
“When a team does that, they celebrate right in front of your gate and you have to watch them. You remember that feeling next time and it makes the win a whole lot sweeter when you’re in their barn,” he detailed.
Pontiacs can't get footing on the road
The Pontiacs couldn't get their footing during game three when they headed to Spruce Grove on Monday, March 18.
The Saints won 4-1 over Bonnyville.
The first goal of the evening would go to Spruce Grove, putting them into the lead 1-0 with the only point of the first.
They would add another three to the scoreboard before Pontiac Lucas Thorne found the back of the net during the second.
Neither team would be able to add a point before the final buzzer rang in the third, which brought the Saints ahead by three games in the best of seven series.
