Pontiacs split weekend

Photo Credit: Game Ready Photography

Thanksgiving weekend gave the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs an opportunity to collect four points at home with the Spruce Grove Saints visiting Friday evening and the Drayton Valley Thunder in town for a matinee game on Sunday.

The points split with the Yaks losing the first battle 3-2 to the Saints. The club learned some hard lessons about discipline and bounced back, collecting two points off the the Thunder with a 4-2 win.

Not a Saintly Performance

“It’s disappointing in a number of ways,” Head Coach of the Pontiacs, Rick Swan, said following Friday’s loss at home to the Spruce Grove Saints. The coach called out long shifts that turned into unnecessary penalties as a main factor as to the team’s 3-2 downfall against the Saints.

Newly appointed Captain of the Pontiacs,  Grayson Constable put in the first goal of the game 46 seconds in off Jaden York. Setting an intensity in the barn that was matched by penalties. The Yaks spent six minutes on the power play in the first 20 minutes of action. The Saints on the other hand were much more disciplines with only one penalty; cross-checking from TJ Lloyd.

The Pontiacs came out in the second gearing, with Ty Enns popping in a goal off Ethan Leyer and Grayson Constable; Pontiacs lead 2-0. The gap would get smaller quickly with the Saints answering on the powerplay, it was a 2-1 game at the end of the second.

The visiting club carried the momentum into the last 20 minutes of play with two unanswered goals, closing the game 3-2.

“Our biggest enemy out there is over-extended shifts,” stated the coach, “we were getting worn down and took penalties as a result. We were not in places defensively where we needed to be.”

If we want to play assertive hockey, then you have to be a team. – Head Coach of the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs

Following the game, the team watched game footage to learn from their mistakes.

The team responded to the coach’s wisdom and game footage with a 4-2 win over Drayton Valley Sunday afternoon; just in time for mom’s Thanksgiving dinner.

With a 7-2-0 record, Coach Swan says the goal will be for the team to “control the intangibles”.

A rematch with the Saints is scheduled for Wednesday evening in Bonnyville. Puck drops at 7:30pm at the RJ Lalonde Arena.