Technically, the Pontiacs' week was down and up, and then back down again, based on their results. Last Tuesday the Pontiacs came back from two 2-goal deficits, only to lose to the St. Albert Steel in a shootout 5-4. Friday, Bonnyville took the lead against rival Lloydminster Bobcats in the first period and grinded out a hard-fought 3-1 win. Then on Saturday, the Pontiacs travelled to Camrose, where they again came back on two separate occasions to tie it up, only to lose to the Kodiaks in overtime 3-2.
The win Friday was definitely the high point of the week for the Pontiacs. The Pontiacs displayed their relentlessness and their ability to match and exceed the physical play of their opponent, while still capitalizing on their chances to get the win.
The game was a hard-hitting battle from the beginning. Pontiac's head coach and GM Chad Mercier said there were probably two hundred hits thrown in the game – one hundred from each team.
A tight-checking defence from both sides yielded little for offensive chances in the first period. To generate offence, the Pontiacs resorted to what has brought them success all year – getting pucks to the net, with traffic in front.
The plan worked against the Bobcats, when Jesse Williamson took a low shot from the point and Christopher Romanchuk, standing in front, tipped the puck passed the Lloyd keeper.
The game remained a grind, with some hard hits thrown and neither team able to maintain pressure down low.
The Pontiacs did a good job directing pucks towards the net and getting traffic in front, but could not add to their lead in the second period.
Both teams were taking runs at each other at the end of the second and that continued into the third with a huge hit by Pontiacs forward Kevin Carthy. Carthy, who was flying all over the ice all night, came around the back of the Bobcats net and caught their defenceman with his head down.
Another Bobcat came to the defence of his teammate, but Carthy, who was ready for him, dropped his gloves and took him down too. Two fighting majors were handed out, and the Bobcats also received two bench minors, so the Pontiacs ended up with a two-man advantage.
On the power play, Pontiacs forward Matt Montesano made some nice moves and got the goalie out of position, but could not put it in. However, following up on the play was Devon Kalinski, who got the rebound and jammed it in to make it 2-0.
The Pontiacs followed up their power play with some bad coverage in their own zone, allowing the Bobcats to skate around the zone untouched. Finally Lloyd fired the puck from the point and somehow it found its way through the traffic and passed Julien Laplante. That made it 2-1 with five minutes remaining.
The Bobcats pulled their goalie for the extra attacker with a minute left but the plan backfired. Tyler Henry made a nice pass to Kalinski who skated in and put the puck in the empty net for his second of the night, which put the game out of reach.
Mercier said of the tight game, “There wasn't an inch given up by either team out there…(the Bobcats) compete as hard as any team in the league, we had to earn it tonight, that's for sure.”
Pontiacs defenceman Donnie Harris echoed his coach, saying the game was a hard-fought battle, grinded out over 60 minutes. “We knew it wasn't going to be easy, but it felt good to get the win.”
After a nice nine game win streak a week ago, the Pontiacs hit a few bumps in the road, losing twice before getting back in the win column Friday. With the win the Pontiacs were, for the time being, tied for first in the AJHL; however, the Fort McMurray Oil Barons picked up another win Sunday, while the Pontiacs lost in O.T. Saturday. That put the Oil Barons first in the league with 25 points and 12 wins and left the Pontiacs tied for second with 23 points and 10 wins.
Bonnyville was also ranked second in the country for the week ending Oct. 17. The Canadian Junior Hockey League announced its top 20 rankings in conjunction with NHL central scouting. The Pontiacs were ranked 15 the week prior, but following their unprecedented winning streak they were bumped all the way up to the second spot.
The Pontiacs' next game is Wednesday in Fort McMurray, where they face the top team in the league. The next Pontiacs home game goes Friday at 7 p.m. against the Canmore Eagles.
