It might not have gone exactly as the team had planned, but the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs opened the 2012-2013 regular season with two wins over division rival Lloydminster Bobcats.
The Pontiacs came out firing in Friday's season opener at home, counting three goals in the first frame, before letting off in the second period, where the Bobcats answered with one of their own before the Pontiacs put it away for good, winning 4-1.
Bonnyville came out strong for the second straight night in Saturday's game, this time in Lloyd's Civic Centre Arena, opening the scoring. But another lull in the second period allowed the Bobcats to pull ahead 3-1. Bonnyville did not give up though, as the team notched a late second period goal and two in the third to win 4-3 heading into the second week of the season.
“We picked up the four points this weekend and these are four points we can't get back in December or January when we're fighting for position,” said Pontiacs head coach and general manager Chad Mercier. “We're happy with the results, but we know there's a lot of work to be done.”
Pontiacs 17-year-old rookie Alex Smith opened the season's scoring with his first Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) goal, ripping it in over the shoulder of Bobcats goalie Chase Martin. Defenceman Dallas Mortensen picked up the assist.
Jackson Dudley followed that up with his first of the year on the powerplay, of a sweet saucer pass from linemate Keith Csizmadia.
Tanner Dusyk, the Pontiacs leading scorer from last year's squad, scored the third goal of the game with Ty Carey picking up the assist. Spencer Foo also potted a goal of his own, with Dusyk and Redford Swan picking up the helpers.
“It really feels good to get going,” said Dusyk, who was acting captain for the first game of the season, before the team makes a final decision on captains and assistants in the upcoming weeks. “We've put in a lot of work up to this point, but now that the season is underway, we know we have a lot more work to go to get to where we want to be.”
Csizmadia said the team chemistry is coming together quickly to begin the season.
“It's the first couple games, so there's a lot of emotion out there, but I think the boys handled it well.”
He said, “This is a really good group of guys and we really like each other, which helps with the on-ice dynamic.”
Dudley opened the scoring in Saturday's game, off a pass from Swan.
After three straight Bobcats goals, Pontiacs rookie Marc Dubeau scored his first AJHL goal to bring his team within one. Dusyk picked up an assist on the play.
Still down by one at the start of the third, Pontiacs veteran and hometown boy Carey stepped up and netted the tying goal off assists from Locke Muller and Sam Paquin.
Muller then jammed home the winning goal late in the third, with Dusyk picking up the assist for his fourth point of the weekend.
Eighteen-year-old Muller, who is originally from St. Paul, joined the Pontiacs this year after two seasons in the Western Hockey League and said Bonnyville's style of play will suit him well.
“This is a really good group of guys here and it makes for an easy transition,” he said. “I think our team's makeup and our hard physical style, is the type of system that I can thrive in. I enjoy the physical play and throwing my weight around and I think that I can also contribute on the offensive side of the game as well.”
The Pontiacs have three games this week, starting with a tough tilt against last season's North Division champions the Fort McMurray Oil Barons, this Wednesday in Fort Mac.
The Pontiacs are back at home Friday to take on the Calgary Canucks at 7 p.m. before finishing the week off with a Saturday night tilt in Camrose against the Kodiaks.
