The Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs got some big performances from a few key players this week, translating to two shutout wins and a shootout loss.
After suffering a heartbreaking loss to St. Albert in overtime Nov. 13, the Pontiacs responded with a great performance Tuesday, beating the Fort McMurray Oil Barons 3-0. Three nights later Bonnyville got off to a tough start in St. Albert, but was able to claw its way back into the game and send it to overtime. The Steel eventually beat the Pontiacs in a shootout – for the second time in a week. Bonnyville bounced back again Saturday, with goalie Julien Laplante putting up another shutout in a 4-0 win over Drayton Valley.
But it was not just individual performances that brought success this week; it was the Pontiacs' ability to play as a team and work together to get the wins.
“We had a couple guys with huge performances, but that was an absolute team effort,” said Chad Mercier, Pontiacs head coach and GM, following Tuesday's win over Fort McMurray.
Mercier saw this win as a great response by his team. The Pontiacs played a complete game from start to finish against the Oil Barons, giving up few chances along the way.
“It's a game that we can build on and a game we can look back on, when we do get off the rails a little bit…something to remind ourselves what we're capable of.”
One of Bonnyville's hottest players of late has been rookie forward Ty Carey, who opened the scoring Tuesday. The 18-year-old winger has been finding the back of the net on a regular basis after a slow start to the year. He is currently on a six-game point streak.
Marc-Antoine Juneau and Devon Kalinski also scored for Bonnyville, but Carey's goal stood as the winner, as Laplante did what he does best: stop pucks.
Laplante stopped all 28 shots Fort McMurray threw on net, but credited his team in front of him for getting him the shutout.
“It feels nice,” Laplante said, while wearing the hard hat following the game. “Everyone battled hard out there, stuck to the game plan and our defence played unreal tonight…it's good when you only need one goal to win.”
Another player really stepping up of late, after a few key players had gone down with injuries, is assistant captain Devon Kalinski. Kalinski brings a ton of emotion to the ice and channels it into solid performances night in and night out.
“Kalinski showed the kind of character and person he is with another unbelievable effort tonight,” said Mercier.
Kalinski is not the leading scorer on the team, but seems to be a team leader. His efforts have arguably pushed others to up their level of play, such as Carey, who was skating on Kalinski's wing this week. Kalinski received star of the game honours Tuesday and Saturday, with Carey picking up the honour Friday.
Friday's game
Friday's game was not one to be excited about for the Pontiacs, but nonetheless they picked up one valuable point. Bonnyville started slowly, allowing St. Albert to score only a minute in and then allowing another one halfway through the first.
But the resilient Pontiacs scored a couple quick ones of their own towards the end of the first, to tie the game up at two.
There was no scoring in the second period and almost the entire third as well. But with only two minutes left in the game and the Steel on a power play, Bonnyville let in the go-ahead goal. However, all was not lost, as Bonnyville came back again to tie it up with only a minute and a half remaining in the game.
But it was not to be for the Pontiacs on this night, as they were unable to score in overtime or the shootout, while St. Albert scored on its first shootout attempt.
Saturday's game
It did not take long for Bonnyville to find the back of the net Saturday against Drayton Valley, with Matt Montesano scoring eight minutes into the game.
The Pontiacs poured it on this game, throwing 43 shots on net, while allowing only 24.
Juneau and Ryan Kearns each scored late in the second period to make it 3-0 for the Pontiacs heading into the third period.
Then for good measure and to keep the scoring streak alive, Carey put one in a minute into the third, with linemate Kalinski assisting on the goal. Bonnyville left Drayton Valley with a 4-0 win, likely making the bus ride home a lot more enjoyable.
Pontiacs notes
Julien Laplante got his second shutout of the week against Drayton Valley, adding to his league-leading five shutouts of the season, which set a new club record for shutouts in a season.
Ty Carey has put up six goals and three assists during his six-game point streak.
Devon Kalinski is on a seven-game point-scoring streak.
Marc-Antoine Juneau is on a three-game goal-scoring streak.
Eric Peterson is on a three-game streak of at least one assist or more.
Dante Borrelli will be out of the lineup for another month with a lower body injury.
Tyler Henry remains out of the lineup and is listed as day-to-day with a concussion.
