The Bonnyville Pontiacs started off 2016 with a bang, storming past the Drayton Valley Thunder in a pair of weekend road games.
The Pontiacs outscored the Thunder 11-1 over the course of a the two-game roadtrip. Starting out on Saturday night, Brinson Pasichnuk, Chandler Klein and Gen Bryshun each picked up two points in the Pontiacs 7-1 win over the Thunder.
“It was a great effort, it's not that Drayton Valley didn't come without making sure we earned everything we got, they're a hard working team. We executed extremely well, our structure and our defensive zone was excellent, we had maybe two break downs the entire game,” said Pontiacs head coach Rick Swan.
The teams were back in action again the following day, with Pontiacs netminder Olivier Charest recording a shutout in their 4-0 victory. Zach Mills notched two goals and Alden Dupuis picked up three assists in the game.
Bonnyville tramples Drayton Valley
Bonnyville let their dominance known early on when they took on Drayton Valley Saturday night. Erik Donald got the momentum going for the visiting team, notching the first goal of the night just under seven minutes into the game. Two more goals from Brinson Pasichnuk and Klein before the halfway point in the period furthered the Pontiacs lead.
“I think the big key here today was that we kept things simple and got the start we are looking for, especially the first 10-minutes to put them on their heels to get those first three goals and really take it over from there in terms of staying within our structure and playing hard there,” said Swan.
Drayton Valley made an attempt to close the gap, managing to sneak in what would be their only goal of the night. Thirty-seconds later Pontiacs forward Derek Brown found the back of the net, bringing Bonnyville up 4-1 by the end of the first.
With just over two minutes left in the second, Dupuis notched the only goal of the period.
The Pontiacs added insult to injury in the third, thanks to Mills and Brandon Whistle firing in one apiece for a final score of 7-1 for Bonnyville.
“I think the boys came out strong tonight, we knew we had to have a strong start to the second half of the season and 2016. We had a couple of hard days of practice before and I think that got us into the right mindset coming into these games,” Dupuis said.
Pontiacs defeat the Thunder
The Pontiacs got the scoring started once again in their second game of the weekend against the Thunder. A power play goal from Kyler Hehn only two-seconds into the first set Bonnyville on-track for another win against Drayton Valley.
Less than a minute into the second, Ben Mack got the puck past the Thunder goalie Devin Reagan to bring the Pontiacs up 2-0. Two goals from Mills just over three-minutes apart were the final nails in the coffin, giving Bonnyville a four-point lead heading into the third.
“It was just great plays all around me, guys were getting me the puck. The first one, Alden (Dupuis), it was a two-on-one, and he made a great saucer pass and I had a wide open net,” explained Mills.
He added, “I definitely feel like I've been progressing in my play, the confidence is getting a litter higher so that's good and I feel like our team is starting to get the same confidence too going into 2016.”
With neither teams able to put a scoring play together in the final frame, the Pontiacs beat the Thunder 4-0.
“We really wanted to make sure that our defensive part of the game, especially this last half of the season, that we don't give up anything,” said Swan. “We want to make sure that we play the right way in all three zones and I think that attributed to making it an easier night for our goaltender per-say.”
The Pontiacs will be back in action on Jan. 8 when they head down to Lloydminster to take on the Bobcats. They'll be on the road again the following night, Jan. 9, versus the Spruce Grove Saints.
