Pontiacs Win Double OT Thriller To Open Round 2

Pontiacs come back from 1-0 deficit to win 2-1

Round two of the AJHL playoffs for the Pontiacs got underway in Fort McMurray last night. The Oil Barons are coming off a first round bye. The Pontiacs headed to Fort McMurray with a comeback first round series victory under their belt over Sherwood Park. Game one of the second round series would not disappoint.

Game 1 started off a little bit rocky for the Pontiacs. Just over five minutes into the first period Will Conley would beat Sandro Silvestre to open a 1-0 lead for the Oil Barons. The rest of the first period would be fairly quiet. The shots would favour Fort McMurray 16-12 after the first.

“We gotta start winning battles down low. We got stuck in the d-zone a couple times.” Alden Dupuis told Husband Chad after the first period.

In the second, Bonnyville began to work the offensive zone. Seconds into the back half of the period, Alden Dupuis put one past Oil Barons netminder Eric Szudor. Zach Aston and Jake Gresh drew the assists on the tally. The period ended 1-1. Bonnyville put up 14 shots in the second.

The third period saw no scoring. Both goalies faced only six shots each. The game would head into overtime tied 1-1.

Overtime at the Casman Centre

The first period of overtime was back and forth. Both teams had good chances to end the game. Once again, the goaltenders stood on their heads and stopped everything they faced. Fort McMurray had a chance on the powerplay, but couldn’t find the back of the net. The teams headed back into the locker rooms after 80 minutes of play.

“I feel we’ve had enough shots to get one past their goalie… Just need to get pucks to the net.” Brandon Whistle said during the break between overtime periods.

Double overtime began in Fort McMurray nearing 11 p.m. The teams would play 8:10 in the second overtime. Dylan Stewart would score the winning goal for Bonnyville. Erik Donald drew the assist on the winner after his shot hit a man in front and bounced onto Stewart’s stick.

https://youtu.be/LYteV75EAFI

“It’s a chess match, essentially. They’ve got structure and we’ve got structure. We’re waiting for breakdowns on both sides… Tomorrow nothing changes.” Coach Rick Swan said post game.

https://youtu.be/4Z45F_RNj_0

Game two goes tonight in Fort McMurray at 7:30 p.m. Lakeland Connect will keep you up to date with live updates from Husband Chad throughout the game.