Cardiac Pontiacs win on another late game comeback, fall to Drumheller

Easton Hesse before last Saturday’s game in Drumheller.

The Bonnyville Pontiacs snapped their five-game losing streak in another two-goal third-period comeback against the Olds Grizzlys on Friday night 5-4 in overtime.

It was the team’s seventh comeback win after trailing by two or more goals this season and came at just the right time to salvage a victory in the last game of January.

However, the rubber match against the Drumheller Dragons saw the team on the other side of an overtime result.

Easton Hesse made 40 saves, but Kiano Robinson beat him in overtime to lift the Dragons 2-1 over the Pontiacs.

Both matchups against the Dragons over the past week had a high level of intensity, one the Pontiacs will learn from before the dance begins on March 1.

“It hurts a little bit because it had a real playoff feel to it. And it was an opportunity for us to nail down some of the detail parts of the game, in terms of coverage and making sure that guys were dialed in,” said coach Rick Swan after the game.

“I thought Easton Hesse was fantastic. 45 stops tonight. He played terrific. And I think that the guys also feel a sense of this hurts because we have to be better than that for the entire completion of the game.”

The Dragons are one of the league’s hottest teams going 9-1 in the team’s last ten games and showed it by waving at the Pontiacs’ fans after the game-winner.

“I wish we had an opportunity to play them in playoffs or wish we had an opportunity to play more than two times, but we don’t. But we have to continue to grow each and every single day. And this is one of those things that although we didn’t get our two points, we’re certainly going to learn from it,” said Swan.

Bonnyville hosts the AJHL North’s last-place team in the Lloydminster Bobcats on Wednesday at 7:00pm.

Thorne continues to climb Pontiacs all-time list

Lucas Thorne’s three assists against the Olds Grizzlys ties him with Lucas Islay for 9th all-time in franchise scoring with 152 points.

With eight games left in the season, Thorne will tie Kirk Lamb for 8th in scoring with his next point and could reach as high as 7th on the list where Justin Fontaine sits at 157 points.

Thorne has 27 goals and 44 assists on the season for 71 points, one behind team leader Matt McKim who has 72 points.

Both are top ten in league scoring this year.