At the halfway point of their exhibition schedule the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs are facing some tough roster decisions.
A total of 29 players remain – nine defensemen, 17 forward and three goalies – as the team enters the back half of its pre-season campaign.
“We know that we have to go through the process and play our final three games before we know what the final roster is going to look like here,” said Head Coach and GM Rick Swan.
Swan knows there are going to be tough choices on the horizon as the Pontiacs have a large group of highly skilled rookies currently vying for a handful of open roster spots.
These rookies got to show of their skills over the past week, as the team played three exhibition games against Whitecourt and Lloydminster.
On Aug. 26 rookies Brandon Whistle and Ryan Rothenburger put their names on the coaches radar, providing a large chunk of Bonnyville's offense in a 7-6 loss to Whitecourt.
Whistle opened the scoring for the Pontiacs when he walked across the top of the offensive zone and wristed a rocket into the top right corner. The six-foot-one, 185-pound forward showed off his quick, dangerous wrist shot and tied the game 1-1.
Rothenburger then showed why his 31-goal campaign in midget AAA last season wasn't a fluke. The tall forward notched a hat trick and shot up the team's depth chart.
His first goal came on a wrap-around, the second a wrist shot from the slot and the third he slipped five-hole after walking off the left sideboards.
The following night Bonnyville hosted the Lloydminster Bobcats. The two teams played a heated, physical affair, which ended with a 3-2 Bobcats victory.
Bonnyville's offense was provided by veteran centre Bobby McMann, who snapped two wrist shots home for his first two markers of the pre-season.
The Pontiacs were back in action the next night, Aug. 28, when they traveled to Lloydminster for a rematch with the Bobcats.
While Lloydminster's Morgan Messenger opened the scoring with a short-side goal on Bonnyville's Joey Desrosiers, it was all Pontiacs this night.
Bonnyville scored the games next six goals en route to a 6-1 victory.
Veterans Steenn Pasichnuk, McMann and Alden Dupuis scored along with rookies Parker Foo and Derek Brown (twice).
“I think that we are a little more skilled this year,” said Swan. “We may lack the physical size that we have had in previous years with past teams, but even though we don't have that size we are still seeing some push back.”
Over the course of the three games Swan and assistant coach Larry Draper have experimented with a variety of line combinations.
Forwards Josh Borynec and Alden Dupuis have both benefitted from lining up alongside one another for a pair of the exhibition contests.
They combined for a nifty give-and-go goal against the Bobcats and have given the coaches something to think about come the regular season.
“They are both skilled guys that think the game extremely well and are difficult to contain, especially because of the vision they have,” said Swan. “We expect big things out of both of those guys.”
Another line that dominated the Bobcats over the two exhibition games featured Steenn Pasichnuk and Zach Mills alongside McMann.
The line picked up two goals Thursday night, two more on Friday night and was one of the more dangerous combinations on the ice on both occasions.
“We are just trying to create a little chemistry. Certainly those guys are making a statement with how they are playing and we are noting that,” said Swan, feeling that no line combinations are set in stone.
The team is still without the services of 60-point scorer Kyler Hehn, who has sat out training camp with an injury. Hehn is expected to miss the start of the regular season, while he works his way back into game shape.
As for the goaltenders, Desrosiers and Billy Gorn split time in Thursday and Friday night's contests against the Bobcats. The two appear to be battling it out for the Pontiacs starting job.
They'll get a few more cracks at impressing the brass as the Pontiacs have three games remaining on their exhibition schedule.
On Sept. 2 they'll travel to Fort McMurray to battle the Oil Barons, before coming home on Friday to host those same Oil Barons at the RJ Lalonde Arena.
Bonnyville's pre-season wraps up on Saturday when they travel to Whitecourt to face the Wolverines.
“I am happy with our progression,” said Swan. “I'm happy with the players we have and I am happy with the chemistry that we have seen. I am also happy with leadership so far.”
The Pontiacs will open the regular season at home on Sept. 11 when they host Lloydminster.
