After losing four straight games, including a 7-2 loss to the Whitecourt Wolverines last Tuesday, the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs have rebounded with three straight victories, as teams approach the halfway point of the regular season.
After losing four straight games, including a 7-2 loss to the Whitecourt Wolverines last Tuesday, the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs have rebounded with three straight victories, as teams approach the halfway point of the regular season.
It hasn't been a whole lot of offence winning games for the Pontiacs of late; instead it has been solid team efforts in front of the stellar goaltending of Tyler Santos.
After playing just one game since Oct. 27, as the Pontiacs rode the hot hands of goalie Stephen Klein, Santos finally got an opportunity to get back in the crease last Tuesday and proved to his coaches it was the right choice.
Santos made 42 stops in the Pontiacs 3-2 win over the Spruce Grove Saints last Wednesday. He followed that up with a 26-save performance in the team's 2-1 win at home over the Lloydminster Bobcats. Santos ended his week on a high note with another 3-2 win, this time over the Camrose Kodiaks, who came to town for a Sunday afternoon affair at the R.J. Lalonde Arena.
"Tyler's been working really hard and it's showing in his preparation and in the success he's had of late," said Pontiacs associate coach Rick Swan. "Part of the decision to go with Tyler over the last few games has been to ride the hot goalie. Stephen (Klein) was basically our MVP at the start of the season, but now with two goalies showing they are capable, I think this will breed some healthy competition between the two."
Swan added, "This also sends the right message to the rest of the team that you must earn everything you get."
The Pontiacs have had an up and down season so far, but with these latest wins, the team has climbed back into the top four in the AJHL's North Division, with a 14-8-4 record, two points ahead of the fifth-place Drayton Valley Thunder.
Swan said the team is coming together and realizing what it takes to earn their wins.
"Our guys are really building momentum here, especially in terms of team chemistry," said Swan. "We're playing with a bit more swagger in terms of the emotion we're bringing to the game. We're more supportive of each other than we've ever been. And those are all really good signs of a team and its players buying into this system and culture and building our team identity."
Forward Marc Dubeau, who scored two goals and added an assist in Sunday's win, said the team has come along way and is only getting stronger.
"You can see how emotional these games have been. They're huge character wins for us. Everybody's blocking shots and making hits and really standing up for each other out there and it's really helping us to grow into the team we want to be."
Santos echoed his teammate's remarks.
"These guys are giving it their all. They're sacrificing the body and doing whatever it takes to get the win. Just today (team captain Locke) Muller blocked a shot with his hand," said Santos.
"That's what you love to see as a teammate because those are the kind of things it takes to win."
Bonnyville will now head on the road for back-to-back games in Whitecourt this weekend. The Pontiacs face the Wolverines Friday and Saturday with both games scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.
