The Bonnyville Sr. Pontiacs celebrated their season: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The team looked back on the 2018/19 season with their awards banquet on Saturday, May 4, at the Bonnyville Neighbourhood Inn.
While it was an evening spent focusing on the accomplishments of the players on the ice, head coach Corey Wandler highlighted the hard work of those behind the scenes.
”I know it wasn’t the prettiest year as far as the record stands, but we still have to put a product on the ice and compete in the game. Thanks to everybody that came to the rink on a cold winter day to watch us and make sure that we had a good volunteer base,” he expressed.
The team finished the season with three wins, 13 losses, and six points in the standings.
As part of their annual tradition, the Pontiacs recognized some of the players that gave it their all, including Calvin Giese.
The goalie was named rookie of the year after winning three of the 13 games he played for a save percentage of .822.
”I’ve never played senior hockey before so it was nice to come up and play with these guys,” Giese exclaimed. “Being new to the community was awesome, it made a new home for me. It was a tough season to come and play in, but it was still a great time to come in and play with these guys.”
The newcomer also walked away with the president’s award, which is given to the most dedicated player on the team.
”I was surprised, and it was awesome to win a couple of awards from the team,” Giese expressed. “It’s always nice to be rewarded for your work throughout the season.”
The most gentlemanly player was Adam Knapp, who finished the season with zero penalty minutes.
Cyril Snyder claimed the award of merit, or unsung hero, for the team, while Dru Morrison walked away with the best defenceman award.
Morrison ended the season with seven goals, five assists, and 12 points overall.
Team MVP went to Denis Cadrin who had 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points.
”There’s a lot of good players on the team that could have won it, too,” he noted.
After losing a majority of their roster, Wandler described the 2018/19 season as a “rebuild year.”
”The league started earlier this year, which might have put a kink into things, and we weren’t prepared 100 per cent. We didn’t get a chance to get an exhibition game or two in to really get fine-tuned.”
He expressed his thanks to the players who laced up their skates throughout the season, and said he was proud of what the team accomplished.
”It’s a really tough league, and a lot of good players are in this league. So credit to our guys that showed up every night, even though it was easy to get discouraged,” detailed Wandler.
Cadrin added, “Whether we won or lost, it was a good season for me. I think we all had fun.”
