Sr. Pontiacs finish on a winning note with 10-4 victory

Westlock Warriors forward Mike Ivey circles the Pontiacs goal as netminder Calvin Giese prepares for a shot. Image provided by http://gamereadyphotography.com. 

Lucas Islay and Ty Carey each scored a hat-trick and the Bonnyville Sr. A Pontiacs were able to cap off their 2018-19 senior league season with a 10-4 win over the Westlock Warriors.

Coach Corey Wandler said it nice to finish a tough season (3-13) with a victory.

“We found offense tonight. Give credit to our captain [Lucas Isley], he got himself to the rink today for the final game and look what he did. He was in all three goals in the first and gave us the lead, and we never looked back. That first line carried the brunt of the load tonight,” said Wandler.

“It was good to at least the season on a good note for our fans and our sponsors and our volunteers, and for the guys to get this one and close the season.”

The Pontiacs were plagued by inconsistent rosters throughout the season. At times, there were talks about whether the team would be forced to fold because of the lack of participation.

It will be an issue re-inforced in the off-season, said Wandler.

“For this team and the organization, the board members, and the players, we’ll have to see what we can do moving forward,” said Wandler.

The Pontiacs finished dead last in the North Central Hockey League, but only a couple points out of the final playoff spot. When they had a more complete lineup, they did compete, but fell in some close games, like the 8-7 loss to the Devon Barons a weekend before.

Denis Cadrin lead the team in scoring with 22 points in thirteen contests this season. Lucas Isley was second with 14 points in just five games.

Goaltender Calvin Giese, called one of the most consistent Pontiacs players this season by Wandler, played in 11 games between the pipes, and often gave them a chance to win despite uncertain roster combinations.

The Pontiacs lost in their game on Saturday in Morinville.

“We hadn’t won since early November when Sylvan Lake was here. We wanted to hear our victory song one last time,” said Wandler.