The Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs came away with two wins this past week, though neither came easy, as both games came down to last-minute Pontiacs heroics.
It was Pontiacs defenceman Blake Leask scoring the game-winner with a minute and a half left against the Canmore Eagles Friday, on a spectacular coast-to-coast effort, flying through the Eagles lineup and ripping one short side on the netminder.
Two nights earlier, it was Pontiacs forward Tanner Dusyk executing the old wrap-around to perfection for the winner with a little over a minute to go against the Sherwood Park Crusaders.
Chad Mercier, Pontiacs head coach and general manager, said he was obviously happy with the wins, but continues to look for some consistency in his team's play.
“At times we weren't real good and at times we were good. There are some ebbs and flows in our game right now but we still find a way to win … that's important and we can take some lessons from that,” Mercier explained.
Getting out to strong starts has not been a problem, as the Pontiacs took a 3-0 lead over the Crusaders and a 2-0 lead over the Eagles before allowing both teams to come back and tie it up.
But Mercier credits his team with continuing to show resilience, despite giving up the lead late in each of the last three games.
“We've been able to stay with it and not get ahead or behind ourselves too much,” Mercier said. “It's a tough league. Everyday, every night, it's tough. But we keep finding a way to get two more points. We'll take it and we'll take the rest and get prepared for a huge road trip.”
The Pontiacs have won eight of their past 10 games, including its last seven home games.
A few Pontiacs had a big week on the score sheet, including Wednesday's hero, Dusyk, who scored two goals and added an assist against the Crusaders. Dillon Currie also picked up two goals in the win over Sherwood Park, while defenceman Jordon Krankowsky added two assists in the game.
It was forward Dallas Ansell coming up big for the Pontiacs Friday, scoring the first two goals of the game and picking up the game star.
Ansell talked about keeping things simple and having it pay off for him and the team.
“I had a bad game (a week ago) and this week I was just trying to keep things simple, finish all my checks, keep my feet moving and on that second goal I was able to go get a rebound and bury it.”
Ansell added, “Our role guys are really stepping up for us and doing a really good job filling in for the guys out of the lineup.”
The Pontiacs have a week of practice before getting back to game action this Friday in Brooks against the Bandits.
The Pontiacs continue their southern swing, facing off against Okotoks on Saturday evening before taking on Canmore on Sunday. The Pontiacs also face another road game in Lloydminster Nov. 9. The Pontiacs next home game is Saturday Nov. 12 against St. Albert.
Puck drop is 7 p.m.
