The Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs swept a back-to-back series at home against the Drayton Valley Thunder this weekend, winning 4-1 Friday and 5-1 Saturday.
With the wins, following a 4-3 loss Wednesday in Sherwood Park, the Pontiacs look to get on a roll heading into the final month of the season, according to head coach and GM Chad Mercier.
“We're in a situation here where we're getting into more of a sprint. It's very important (to get on a roll). We have to put something together here again,” said Mercier.
After the loss in Sherwood Park, the Pontiacs hit the ice hard and fast Friday against the Thunder, getting out to an early lead.
On the power play Blake Leask let a shot go from the point and forward Dante Borrelli got a stick on it, tipping it past the Thunder goalie for the 1-0 lead. The goal was Borrelli's 13th of the season, and first since returning from injury.
The Pontiacs dictated the play for the majority of the game, maintaining puck control and keeping a territorial advantage over the Thunder.
Mercier liked his team's play Friday.
“Our work ethic on our cycle, penetrating down low, getting the puck to key scoring areas … territorially we did a tremendous job, all keys to our success.”
The Pontiacs held Drayton Valley to 17 shots in the game and only three in the third period.
Bonnyville added to their lead in the second period, with goals from Logan Sceviour and Devon Kalinski, making it 3-0.
Drayton Valley cut the lead to two with a short-handed goal at the 7:36 mark of the third. But the Pontiacs came right back with another one of their own.
With five minutes to go and Bonnyville on the power play, forward Dallas Ansell picked up the puck off twin brother Levi and skated out from the corner and let go a wicked wrist shot that found its way past the Thunder keeper. The goal was Ansell's first of his career with the Pontiacs and made it 4-1.
With a little animosity built up from the night before, Saturday's game was sure to be a hard fought battle, and it was.
Both the Pontiacs and the Thunder came out hitting and playing tough defence.
Neither team picked up too many scoring chances in the first period, with the shots equal at six apiece.
The rough play continued halfway through the first when Pontiacs captain Michael Westfall took a high stick in the face from a Thunder player in front of his own net. Westfall did not take to kindly to this, dropping the gloves and the Thunder player with relative ease.
Westfall said the back to back games with a little bitterness built-up from the night before are always fun to play in.
“Beating them the first night, we knew they would be coming back pretty hard the next night, but we did everything within our control to put the game away.”
Mercier said the trio of Dillon Currie, Jake Towriss and Austen Hebert was his best line and were hard on the puck all night, which is why they found themselves on the power play towards the end of the first.
Mercier said of the line, “Those guys had a heck of a game energy-wise and within our structure. They spent a lot of time in the other team's end.”
On the man advantage Currie made a nice pass to Donnie Harris, who passed it off to Jordon Krankowsky for the one-timer that beat the goalie top shelf to make it 1-0.
The play opened up a bit in the second, and the Pontiacs took advantage. Marc-Antoine Juneau and Levi Ansell both scored for Bonnyville, with Juneau's goal coming on the power play, giving Bonnyville a 3-0 lead heading into the third period.
Then it was the Ryan Kearns show for the first three minutes of the third.
Kearns picked up his 12th goal of the year just 34 seconds into the period. Then just over two minutes later on the power play Kearns potted his second of the night to make it 5-0.
Pontiacs goalie Connor Creech played a solid game, filling in for Julien Laplante. Creech stopped all shots thrown towards him until early in the third, when a Thunder player let a sneaky shot go that just trickled through the legs of Creech, breaking his shutout bid.
Westfall said following the game that the two wins are very important at this time of year
“We have two big games in Grande Prairie coming up, so these two wins are huge for us. Second place is on the line and that's what we're pushing for right now.”
Victor Ringuette, of B&R Eckels, and his wife Greta, were honoured just prior to the start of the game Saturday. The Ringuettes have been a proud supporter of the Pontiacs and the community for many years and received a commemorative jersey, as well as a placard placed in the southwest corner of the R.J Lalonde Arena.
There was also a silent auction held at the C2 in conjunction with the Ringuettes and Pontiacs. Auction winners received a commemorative jersey worn by a Pontiac during the game, and proceeds went to the Bonnyville Health Foundation.
With the two wins, the Pontiacs kept pace with the sizzling Fort McMurray Oil Barons, who are in second in the division with 73 points. The Pontiacs sit 10 back but also have three games in hand.
Forward Eric Peterson sat out the two weekend games after suffering a groin injury. Peterson is listed as day-to-day.
Pontiacs leading scorer Matt Montesano suffered a leg injury in Friday's game and did not play Saturday. He will be re-evaluated this week.
The Pontiacs head to Grande Prairie Tuesday for back-to-back games against the Storm. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. both nights.
