Sitting tied atop the division heading into last week's play, the Bonnyville Pontiacs had three tough games ahead of them. Fortunately for them they won all three games, shutting out the Oil Barons on Wednesday 2-0, beating Canmore Friday 3-2 and skating away with another 3-2 victory in Drayton Valley Saturday. The wins place Bonnyville in first place, leading the division with 29 points.
Unfortunately, the Pontiacs faced a rash of injuries during Wednesday's game in Fort McMurray, losing three key players. With Ryan Kearns and Derek Hutton already out of the lineup for at least another week, Bonnyville added the likes of captain Michael Westfall, defenceman Donnie Harris and the league's point leader Matt Montesano to the injured list. Westfall, Harris and Montesano each suffered shoulder injuries in the game. Pontiacs head coach and GM Chad Mercier said of the three, Montesano has a "short term" injury and they hope to have him back in a few games, whereas Westfall they hope to have back next week and Harris could be out for up to a month, however, both will be re-evaluated this week.
The Pontiacs were able to squeak out a win to start the week, with goaltender Julien Laplante stealing the show in Fort McMurray Wednesday, getting the shutout and game star.
The Pontiacs then headed back home to face the Canmore Eagles Friday - with a vastly different lineup than the fans were used to. But Pontiacs assistant captain Dante Borrelli said the changes do not affect the game plan. "We're still all accountable for our play out there...just gotta battle and give that extra effort." He said guys upped their play in absence of a few key players. "We had a lot of guys step up...Kalinski played unreal...he won probably 98 per cent of his draws."
The game started out with both teams running around a bit, looking a bit disorganized offensively. And with both teams playing a simplified game defensively, neither team was able to muster many scoring chances in the first.
The second period was a different story - at least at the beginning and end of the period. Less than a minute in, the Eagles broke out on an odd man rush. The puck was thrown on net, and an Eagle won the race to the rebound, putting it in for a 1-0 lead. The defences again buckled down through the middle of the period. But with just under five minutes remaining, Blake Leask walked in from the point, made a couple nice moves around the defenders and put a backhand past the Eagles goalie to tie it up.
However, only moments later Connor Creech, who started in net for the Pontiacs, found himself out of position and was not able to dive back in time to get the puck before it slid in. The Eagles led 2-1 late in the second.
It looked like Bonnyville was going to have to make another third period comeback, when with two minutes left in the second the Pontiacs received a two-man advantage for two minutes. It did not take long for the Pontiacs to strike. After working it around the attacking zone the puck came back to Leask on the point. He took a hard shot that was stopped, but Borrelli jumped all over the rebound, slamming it in, tying the game 2-2.
The third was all about the Pontiacs sacrificing themselves to keep the game tied and give themselves a chance to win. Creech came up with some huge saves, including one were he dove back across his crease to make a miraculous stop. And several players sacrificed their bodies to make key shot blocks. Pontiacs defenceman Jordon Krankowsky got in the way of at least two shots in the third, while forward Tyler Henry came up big on a penalty kill, stopping a point shot with his hand and still making it out for his next shift. Borrelli said of his teammates, "Creech did a great job tonight...and Henry blocking that shot...it hurts, but that goes a long way...those things make all the difference."
With Bonnyville on a power play and five minutes left in the game, it was Henry's hands coming in to play again - this time setting up a goal. The Pontiacs were set up in the offensive zone, with Henry controlling the puck on the half-boards. As the Eagles attacked, Henry made a beautiful pass through the middle, placed perfectly for Marc-Antoine Juneau, who one-timed in the game-winning goal.
With key players out of the lineup, Mercier said this game was an opportunity for others to really step up their game. "Leask and Krankowsky did a tremendous job for us...Redford Swan, a young guy, he's out there with a minute left, in a one-goal game...those are guys stepping up in key situations for us."
Mercier said he also received some great effort from the forwards and commended his whole team for not giving too much up defensively. "It's important to be able to play that way, bend, but don't break."
The Pontiacs picked up their third win of the week Saturday against the Drayton Valley Thunder. Matt Montesano made his return to the lineup, after sitting out Friday. Laplante was also back in net and stopped 29 of 31 shots for the 3-2 victory. The Pontiacs penalty-kill went three for three, as they remain one of the stronger teams in the league when short-handed. Dante Borrelli had a short-handed goal in the first period and received a game star for his effort.
The win puts the Pontiacs alone atop the league, with 13 wins and 29 points; two points ahead of second placed Fort McMurray.
The Pontiacs play on back-to-back nights at the R.J. Lalonde arena this weekend. They play the Spruce Grove Saints Friday and the St. Albert Steel Saturday; puck drop for both games is 7 p.m.
