BONNYVILLE -
The Bonnyville Sr. Pontiacs gave it all they had, but in the end it just didn’t cut it.
Over the weekend they played two of their five-game playoff series against the Morinville Kings, dominating the first night 6-3 and falling 7-5 in game two.
Finding their footing on enemy territory
The Pontiacs’ playoff action kicked off on a high note with a 6-3 victory over the hosting Kings on Saturday, Jan. 25.
First to fire right out of the gate, with less than three minutes on the clock, was Morinville. Bonnyville answered a few minutes later with a goal from Brandon Devos, followed by an unassisted short-handed point by Tanner Corbeil.
Justin Dubeau added his name to the scoresheet with less than three minutes left in the first, with the Kings answering with only seconds left in the frame.
Heading into the second 3-2, the Pontiacs widened the gap once more after Lucas Isley got one past the goaltender.
The Kings tried their best to stay in the game, scoring their final goal of the night less than 10 minutes into the period.
Coltan Buchta slammed one into their opponent’s net to bring the score up 5-3, followed by the final goal of the night by Denis Cadrin.
Welcoming the Kings to Bonnyville
The Pontiacs welcomed the Kings to the R.J. Lalonde Arena on Sunday, Jan. 26 for their second game of the series.
Despite the home team’s best efforts, they fell to Morinville 7-5.
The Kings showed they had something to prove, scoring two goals in the first frame.
Bonnyville didn’t let a rough start dampen their spirits, and they came out hot in the second.
Corbeil put the Pontiacs on the scoreboard less than four minutes into the period. Unfortunately, their momentum was met with three goals from the Kings before the end of the second.
The Pontiacs came out of the dressing room for the final 20-minutes ready to give it all they’ve got.
They turned what had been a 5-1 lead for Morinville heading into the third to a neck-and-neck 6-5 with only minutes left in the period.
Troy Dumais started the scoring off for the third, followed by a goal from the Kings.
Ty Carey took advantage of a powerplay, using their extra man to sneak one past the Kings’ netminder.
With less than six minutes on the clock, Isley carried the puck down the ice adding his name to the scoresheet.
Courage Measoo closed the gap just a bit more with roughly four minutes left in the game.
The Pontiacs could nearly taste a win, and after a brief timeout hit the ice with vigor.
Fans were watching as the clock counted down the final two minutes of game play. The Pontiacs fought tirelessly to get the puck into the net, firing shot after shot at the Kings’ goalie.
Unfortunately, it would be Morinville who would add another point to the scoreboard.
Bonnyville still had a lot of fight left in them, and gave it one last shot with 49 seconds to go before the buzzer. Pulling their goalie, Eric Szudor, they hoped the extra man would give them the edge they needed.
In the end, the Kings climbed back on their bus to celebrate a 7-5 victory.
Head coach Corey Wandler said the team wanted to leave it all on the ice that night, especially after a second frame that had eight penalties for a total of 45 minutes.
“The second period had everything in it. It was very eventful, there were lots of penalties and lots of scrums. We wanted to clean the slate and focus on one solid 20-minute effort where we just gave it everything we’ve got, try to keep momentum, because momentum swings are everything in playoffs,” he expressed. “We wanted to hold onto momentum as much as we could, and we were taking chances.”
MEAGAN MACEACHERN
Nouvelle Staff
The Bonnyville Sr. Pontiacs gave it all they had, but in the end it just didn’t cut it.
Over the weekend they played two of their five-game playoff series against the Morinville Kings, dominating the first night 6-3 and falling 7-5 in game two.
Finding their footing on enemy territory
The Pontiacs’ playoff action kicked off on a high note with a 6-3 victory over the hosting Kings on Saturday, Jan. 25.
First to fire right out of the gate, with less than three minutes on the clock, was Morinville. Bonnyville answered a few minutes later with a goal from Brandon Devos, followed by an unassisted short-handed point by Tanner Corbeil.
Justin Dubeau added his name to the scoresheet with less than three minutes left in the first, with the Kings answering with only seconds left in the frame.
Heading into the second 3-2, the Pontiacs widened the gap once more after Lucas Isley got one past the goaltender.
The Kings tried their best to stay in the game, scoring their final goal of the night less than 10 minutes into the period.
Coltan Buchta slammed one into their opponent’s net to bring the score up 5-3, followed by the final goal of the night by Denis Cadrin.
Welcoming the Kings to Bonnyville
The Pontiacs welcomed the Kings to the R.J. Lalonde Arena on Sunday, Jan. 26 for their second game of the series.
Despite the home team’s best efforts, they fell to Morinville 7-5.
The Kings showed they had something to prove, scoring two goals in the first frame.
Bonnyville didn’t let a rough start dampen their spirits, and they came out hot in the second.
Corbeil put the Pontiacs on the scoreboard less than four minutes into the period. Unfortunately, their momentum was met with three goals from the Kings before the end of the second.
The Pontiacs came out of the dressing room for the final 20-minutes ready to give it all they’ve got.
They turned what had been a 5-1 lead for Morinville heading into the third to a neck-and-neck 6-5 with only minutes left in the period.
Troy Dumais started the scoring off for the third, followed by a goal from the Kings.
Ty Carey took advantage of a powerplay, using their extra man to sneak one past the Kings’ netminder.
With less than six minutes on the clock, Isley carried the puck down the ice adding his name to the scoresheet.
Courage Measoo closed the gap just a bit more with roughly four minutes left in the game.
The Pontiacs could nearly taste a win, and after a brief timeout hit the ice with vigor.
Fans were watching as the clock counted down the final two minutes of game play. The Pontiacs fought tirelessly to get the puck into the net, firing shot after shot at the Kings’ goalie.
Unfortunately, it would be Morinville who would add another point to the scoreboard.
Bonnyville still had a lot of fight left in them, and gave it one last shot with 49 seconds to go before the buzzer. Pulling their goalie, Eric Szudor, they hoped the extra man would give them the edge they needed.
In the end, the Kings climbed back on their bus to celebrate a 7-5 victory.
Head coach Corey Wandler said the team wanted to leave it all on the ice that night, especially after a second frame that had eight penalties for a total of 45 minutes.
“The second period had everything in it. It was very eventful, there were lots of penalties and lots of scrums. We wanted to clean the slate and focus on one solid 20-minute effort where we just gave it everything we’ve got, try to keep momentum, because momentum swings are everything in playoffs,” he expressed. “We wanted to hold onto momentum as much as we could, and we were taking chances.”
That plan of action worked in their favour with Morinville taking three penalties in the third and Bonnyville only spending two minutes in the box.
“We wanted to up our compete level and just play with lost of desperation, because we knew if we put together a solid 20, we would give ourselves a shot in the end,” added Wander. “We were in the fight, we battled adversity in the first 40, and that’s playoff hockey. Now, we will regroup and it’s best of three now for us.”
When asked how their second game in the series stacked up to their first from the night before, Wandler said essentially the teams traded spots.
“We went through tonight (Jan. 26) what they went through last night (Jan. 25) where they were getting some of those quick bounces in front of the net.”
He continued, “We just couldn’t manage our game properly... and I thought (the Kings) had the advantage there, and I give credit to their goalie, because he played really well tonight and he was the difference-maker for them.”
With their next matchup slated for Feb. 1, the Pontiacs will look to regain composure as they head out onto enemy territory for game three of the series with a 6:30 p.m. puck drop.
“We’re going to rest some bumps and bruises. It was a quick turnaround going into game two here, so we’re going to regroup and collect our thoughts a little bit, and hopefully we will get another full line-up for next Saturday, but basically we will just get our minds in the right place and be willing to go to war.”
