Yaks take weekend with huge wins

Photo provided by the Official Photographer of the Bonnyville Jr A Pontiacs, Game Ready Photography.

The Bonnyville Jr A Pontiacs have secured two huge wins from a home and away weekend. The club returned home for the first time in two weeks on Friday to destroy the Spruce Grove Saints 6-4 and then on the road Saturday to take out the Bobcats 6-3.

Game 1 v Spruce Grove

Hometown boy, Brayden Goulet lit it up for the home crowd 32 seconds into the game with a huge goal. Assist to Derek Brown and Ryley Hogan. The Saints responded less than three minutes later with a goal from Jordan Biro and a go-ahead at 10:05 from Logan Ganie. The Yaks wouldn’t let the period end without evening things out, Adam Sandstrom got the goal from Derek Brown and PJ Marrocco.

The team must’ve soaked in the wise words of head coach, Rick Swan during the first intermission, because they came out making skilled and educated plays, advancing the score 4-2 with goals from Lucas Thorne and a shorty from PJ Marrocco. The Saints also took advantage of the penalty and popped in a power play goal before the end of the period, from Tanner Hickey.

“It’s right there, we just need to shoot more,” at the second intermission Assistant Captain, for the Pontiacs, Derek Brown, said despite being out-shot 35-13, the Pontiacs were having success with the back of the net. “It’s mentality, the third period has to be our best yet.”

It was a 4-3 game with 20 minutes left and rookie, Lucas Thorne would get his second goal of the night, at 1:14, from Bobby Young and Zach Aston. The Saints responded quickly with a power play goal 40 seconds later from  Jarrod Gourley. It would be the Yaks who would close the game with a goal from the Viterra Cup lead point-getter,  PJ Marrocco, making it a 6-4 game for the Pontiacs.

Head Coach, Rick Swan, gave mad props to goaltender, Sandro Silvestre, “we wouldn’t even be here without #33. He was tremendous. He shows me that he has the capability of carrying this team; all by himself. We need him to be able to have performances like that, so we can get these ugly type of wins, while our young guys learn what it’s like to compete and have an everyday grind.” Silvestre took on 40 shots, only letting in 4 of them. ”

Game 2 v Lloydminister

Derek Brown took home the game star in Saturday’s match-up against rivals, the Lloydminister Bobcats. He started the night off with two assists. First on PJ Marrocco’s opening goal and the next on a goal from Brendan Morrow (PJ Marrocco also recorded a point for assisting the second goal). Brown would go on to score two goals in the evening and assist another Marocco goal, in the second.

If the star could’ve been shared it would be with Marocco who recorded a hat trick with an empty netter in the third. Giving the Yaks a 6-3 win.

The Pontiacs return home on Tuesday tor a rematch against the Bobcats. WIN tickets to the game thanks to Lake City Coach & Rapid Response Energy Services. Enter Now.