Yaks quiet Thunder at home

The Bonnyville Jr A Pontiacs welcomed the Drayton Valley Thunder on Tuesday evening, at the RJ Lalonde Arena. The club snapped a 4-0 win over the Thunder; dominating all aspects of the play. Head Coach Rick Swan says the type of energy displayed on Tuesday is what you can expect out of the team for the remainder of the AJHL season.

Ryley Hogan  set the tone for the game, at 9:47 in the first, with an unassisted goal. The young 17 year old, from Sherwood Park, made the goal sound so effortless, “I just dumped it in deep, got a break away and tossed it in deep”. Keeping it simple is how the club is going to succeed, says the defenseman, “we gotta try to keep it simple, get those shots on net and play the full sixty”. Derek Brown , with helpers from Isaac Saniga and Bobby Young, keep the club ahead in the second with a goal, making it a 2-0 game.

In the third it was pretty evident the Pontiacs were in charge of the came, Riley Smith advanced the club to a 3-0 lead with a power play goal from Nicholas Ormon and Kirby Proctor.  Nicholas Ormon secured the win with an empty netter from Adam Panacci, closing the show 4-0 in favour of the Yaks.

Yaks backup goaltender Justin Travis  took it between the pipes and was awarded the game star for his shut out. Travis stopped all 19 of the Thunder’s shots and was congratulated by his performance by regular Sandro Silvestre. “We’ll talk to each other, after practice or after a game, tweaking certain aspects of our game. We really work with each other. We rely on each other for advice, because we see our perspectives so we’re able to give each other advice”.

It’s always nice to head into the new year with a win. The Pontiacs will enjoy the W during the Christmas break and come back ready for action on Tuesday, January 2nd, against the Spruce Grove Saints. Puck drop 7:30 pm at the RJ Lalonde Arena.