The Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs started the season off the right way, winning four straight games. But the team has stumbled of late, losing three of its last four, including a 4-3 shootout loss to the Olds Grizzlys Friday and a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Calgary Mustangs Saturday.
The Pontiacs did manage to pick a 4-3 victory over the Crusaders in Sherwood Park this past Wednesday, keeping Bonnyville atop the AJHL's North Division standings with a 5-1-2 record, three points ahead of second-place Drayton Valley Thunder, who have played just six games so far this season.
But despite the recent rough run in this young season, the Pontiacs coaches are not panicking and plan to stay the course, continuing to push the players to perform to their potential every shift of every game.
“We have a good young team that is realizing pretty quick that this is going to be a tough league to play in on a nightly basis,” said Pontiacs associate coach Rick Swan. “Our preparation is getting there, and I think when we get into these battle situations, a lot of our guys are learning some really important lessons as we move forward.
“The season is still young. We have a great coach here with a great season plan and we are confident these early issues will be rectified. It's just a matter of making sure we're prepared to bring a full 60-minute effort every night.”
The Pontiacs started the week with a trip to Sherwood Park where Bonnyville got off to an early 2-0 lead on goals by Jackson Dudley and Tanner Dusyk.
With the score 2-1 to began the second, Dudley potted his second goal of the night, which was followed by a Keith Csizmadia goal to make it 4-1 Pontiacs.
The Crusaders put up two more, including a third period powerplay marker, but Bonnyville's goalie Stephen Klein shut the door from there, preserving the Pontiacs victory. Dudley was named the Pontiacs game's star.
The Pontiacs returned home for a weekend set against southern opponents Olds and the Calgary Mustangs.
On Friday against the Grizzlys, the Pontiacs again got out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Dudley and Dusyk, but again the lead slowly slipped away.
Olds responded in the second period with three straight goals to go up 3-2 heading into the third.
Pontiacs forward Spencer Foo tied it up with a powerplay goal in the third and the game then moved into the extra frame and then eventually to a shootout, where Dudley managed to score for Bonnyville, but it was not enough, as Olds put up two goals in the breakaway competition, capturing the two points and leaving Bonnyville with just one.
Against the Mustangs Saturday and for the third game in a row, the Pontiacs got out to a 2-0 lead, this time on two goals by Csizmadia.
The lead did not last long though, as Mustangs forward and former Pontiac Damien Kulynych scored one in the first period and another in the second to tie it up.
Dudley scored his fourth goal in three games late in the second to regain the lead for Bonnyville, but the Mustangs took over a tired Pontiacs squad in the third, scoring a powerplay goal early and putting in the game-winner with just under 10 minutes to go.
The Pontiacs will now prepare for the annual AJHL Showcase weekend in Spruce Grove.
Bonnyville will take on the Calgary Canucks Friday and the Canmore Eagles Saturday.
The Showcase weekend is an AJHL event that has each AJHL team playing two games in Spruce Grove, allowing coaches and scouts to analyze players from around the league in one convenient weekend.
