Sr. Yaks 1-1 in Round 2 of Playoffs

The Bonnyville Senior Pontiacs second round playoff series is tied at a game a piece after a home and home weekend against Eckville. On Saturday, the club traveled to Eckville for the opening game of the series taking the game to overtime, losing 7-6. Then on Sunday, the club impressed the home crowd with a 7-3 win over the Eagles.

Game 1

“We were down 6-3 with a minute and half left in the game,” Coach Corey Wandler says the team rallied in the final seconds of the game to force extra time, “it showed our resiliency.” Allias Kalinsky was the first to generate excitement at 1:14 left in the game, with a goal from Dallas Desjarlais. Followed at 0:32 with a sweet one from  Mike Desjarlais (Lucas Isley and Joel Olszowka on the assist) and team captain,  Lucas Isley with just four seconds left on the clock popped a heart-stopper in from Joel Olszowka.

“We didn’t get the result we wanted to,” Wandler says overtime proved fatal to the the Pontiacs, after five minutes of play, Chance Abbott got his hat trick goal of the night and the game winner for the Eagles.

Also scoring for the Seniors on Saturday was,  Tanner Corbeil and  Devon Kalinski (x2).

Game 2

“We gotta stay in the high. Low energy changes can be deadly in senior hockey. It’s about the team that can ride the high the longest,” Wandler says heading into Sunday’s match the club is going to have come strong and consistent for the win, “if you can do that, you’re going to be successful.”

The game started strong with two power play goals in the first. Starting with Lucas Isley, from Devon Kalinski and Mike Desjarlais and followed minutes later with  Joel Olszowka, from Jordan Fuder and Devon Kalinski. Eckville answered one of the two goals to make it a 2-1 game, after 20 minutes of play.

Eckville took the second period from the seniors, capturing two goals and advancing to 3-2 over the Pontiacs. ” We took the second off and we can’t be doing that,” Coach Brad Paice says the club made some vital mistakes in the second and would have to bring back the energy to win the game.”Best of five series, we can’t be going back on the road down two.” The team ate up all the inspiration coaches Corey Wandler and Brad Paice could feed them during the second intermission and came back fighting with five unanswered goals in the third. “Mikey took to the challenge and pretty much sparked everyone.”

Mike Desjarlais, started the rally, that also saw Tanner Corbeil,  Denis Cadrin, and two power play goals from  Devon Kalinski give the Yaks a 6-3 win over the Eagles.