Shelby Kostyshen scored with 2:19 remaining to break a scoreless tie and lift the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs to a 1-0 victory over the Sherwood Park Crusaders on Sunday afternoon.
Goaltender Stephen Klein stopped 23 shots in the win, picking up his second shutout of the season. The last time Bonnyville shutout an opponent was on Sept. 21, a 2-0 win over the Okotoks Oilers.
As of Dec. 9, the Pontiacs sit sixth in the North Division with a 14-18-1 record and 31 points. They are two points up on Sherwood Park and one point behind Grande Prairie.
The team's next game is on Dec. 10, when the Pontiacs host the Lloydminster Bobcats at the RJ Lalonde Area.
Nicolas Correale scored a pair of goals, including the eventual game winner just six minutes into the hockey game, leading the visiting Spruce Grove Saints to a 6-1 victory over the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs on Dec. 4.
A balanced attack saw the Saints scored two goals in each period, picking up their 26th victory of the season.
Troubles with the man advantage plagued the Pontiacs in the second period as the team had three powerplay chances in the periods first 11 minutes and failed to score. Bonnyville would finish the game 0-9 on the powerplay.
“They are outworking us, that's all it is right now,” said defenseman Redford Swan. “We are losing our men. They are out thinking us. Our body language is terrible. Guys look like they are defeated already.”
Bonnyville forward Mitch Fritz feels the team's work ethic needs to change.
“It was just a lack of compete. They came out stronger than us. They were ready to battle and we weren't,” said Fritz. “We have to come ready everyday and we didn't show up tonight. (We need to improve) our work ethic and our readiness to come and play. Everybody in this league can be anybody so we just need to show up.”
