Despite losing four of its last five games and being outscored 24-12 during that stretch, the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs hope to have turned things around after pulling out a dramatic comeback victory in a shootout over the Eagles Sunday in Canmore.
Things started out on a sour note for the Pontiacs on the team's three-game southern swing through Brooks, Okotoks and Canmore this weekend.
The Bandits clobbered the Pontiacs 7-2 on Friday. The next day, Bonnyville travelled to Okotoks and were greeted with a 5-1 loss at the hands of the Oilers.
The Pontiacs then found themselves down 4-2 heading into the third period of Sunday's game in Canmore.
Things seemed like they could not get much worse for Bonnyville.
Chad Mercier, Pontiacs head coach and general manager, said after a tough stretch of games, the comeback win Sunday really showed signs of his team's true character and desire to win.
“Some of the mistakes we were making early on and getting away with have been coming back to bite us in these last four or five games and we were having a difficult time understanding how to handle that and elevate above it,” explained Mercier.
“But we've been making small strides in the last few games, just not enough to get us to where we need to be. But in Canmore, we really saw the guys stay the course and scratch and claw for everything they got. It took until the final shot of the shootout, but we think this win in Canmore can really be a turning point for us.”
The Pontiacs tied it up on two goals late in the third period against the Eagles, including one off the stick of Bonnyville's leading scorer Tanner Dusyk, which sent the game to overtime.
In the shootout, Bonnyville's Tommy Barszcz scored first. Canmore's Jordan Revie tied it up on his team's third shot.
On Bonnyville's fifth shot forward Brady Bakke put the Pontiacs up one. Goalie Stephen Klein did the rest, stopping the final Canmore shooter to preserve the 5-4 win.
Even with the win, Bonnyville has now dropped to third in the AJHL's North Division standings, sitting at 23 points and tied with the Sherwood Park Crusaders.
The Pontiacs play Fort McMurray tonight (Tuesday) at 7 p.m. in the R.J. Lalonde Arena, before getting the weekend off from game action. Bonnyville will then travel to Fort McMurray next Tuesday for a rematch with the Oil Barons.
