Pontiacs roll Bobcats at Teddy Bear Toss game

While there was a good cause behind the Pontiacs game on Sunday, they still delivered the valuable two points in their matchup with the Lloyd Bobcats, beating their mid-west rivals 4-1.

The Brick Bonnyville Teddy Bear Toss provided the backdrop for the action on Sunday afternoon, with fans bringing their teddy bears or getting them at the door in anticipation of throwing them to the ice after Bonnyville’s first goal.

The problem was, the fans had to wait a little to throw them away.

Not until almost 15 minutes had past in the 2nd period did the Pontiacs find the back of the net, with defenceman Jack Budd scoring his 9th goal of the season, which puts him a tie with Brooks defender Sam Court for the most goals from a rearguard this season. It comes off Budd earning AJHL Defensive Player of the Week, last week.

“I think it was just a matter of them wanting to score their own way and then realizing that wasn’t gonna work,” said assistant coach Connor Cadaret post-game. “So let’s play that the way that we know works. And they stuck to that and then that started capitalizing for us.” 

Top line continues to thrive

It was with no lack of shots or pressure though and after the initial marker, the offence put the pieces together.

Nico Beaudoin scored his first of two on the night, to close out the second period, before linemate Max Seguin buried his 13th goal of the season early in the 3rd period.

After Beaudoin’s goal two minutes later, the Yaks were in the driver’s seat. But Bodee Weiss was forced to make 16 saves in his last appearance before heading to Team Canada West camp early this week.

Weiss was solid all week long, and a key reason the team won on Sunday and previously in Spruce Grove on Wednesday.

“He kind of had an off couple of weeks, about 10 days ago, but it was a lot of conversations between him and the coaching staff. And he’s responded really well,” said Cadaret. “He’s done what we’ve asked, and he’s battled a lot harder. Even seeing tonight, he’s out of his net has his back to the puck, and he’s still trying to make a save.” 

Beaudoin, Seguin, and offensive dynamo Matteo Giampa combined for 9 points in the game, and the accolades for these linemates continue to accrue.

The Yaks will be forced to see what life without Giampa is like, as he too is at Team Canada West camp and be a shoe-in to make the team.

Beaudoin, fresh off of being named AJHL Player of the Month, was named the AJHL Rookie of the Week for the third time this season on Tuesday.

After a not so great start to the season on home ice, Bonnyville has reeled off six straight wins at the RJ Lalonde Arena, and clawed back the points they dropped after Friday’s loss to Blackfalds.

Just past the midway point of the regular season with 31 games in the books, the Yaks sit 18-11-2. It’s a pace that the Yaks hope to keep as they continue to jostle amongst the top in the AJHL North Division. They are one point behind the Whitecourt Wolverines, but the northern rival has two games in hand.

That means the Pontiacs will have some days off upcoming, like this weekend when they have a rare scheduled break.

The lone game of the week is tonight against the Camrose Kodiaks. Puckdrop is 7:00pm. It is BCHS Santa’s Elves Night, where students will be collecting donations for their annual toy drive.

Notes: 

• On the six game home winning streak, the Yaks improve their home record to 9-5-1, and have scored 38 goals. That equates to 6.33 goals per game on this stretch.
• There is just four games before almost two weeks of a Christmas break. The Yaks host Camrose on Wednesday, then Fort McMurray the following Wednesday, December 14. A mini-road trip follows to Brooks and Drumheller the 16th and 17th.
• Camrose is having the biggest slump in the league currently. The Kodiaks have just two wins in their last 12 games and have slid from 2nd in the South to 5th.
• Captain Trey Funk will likely be out until after Christmas. He suffered an upper body injury on Friday and did not suit up Sunday. The third-year Yak forward was beginning to hit his stride offensively, boasting five goals in his previous three games before getting injured.
• With Bodee Weiss at WJAC camp, recently acquired goaltender Cole Tisdale will get a shot in his first appearance with the Yaks. Bonnyville shipped out Ryan Manzella to Sherwood Park to make room for the 20-year-old netminder. Tisdale has been well travelled in his junior career, playing for three WHL teams last season, as well as the Trail Smoke Eaters. Tisdale played with the Kodiaks in 2019-20.
• Tisdale this season with the Smoke Eaters had a 3-2 record, a 5.00 goals against average, and .862 save percentage.
• Sam Schofield, who played 21 games with the team, asked for a trade in order to get more playing time. His request was accomodated and he was sent to the Melville Millionaires of the SJHL. 
• Another fresh face in the Yaks corps is Luka Sukovic, who dressed for two games already. Acquired from the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks of NAHL, the Lincolnshire, Illinois product put up 10 points in 23 games so far this year. 
• Defenceman JR Ashmead will be forced to sit out on Wednesday, serving the final game of a three game suspension, after checking Spruce Grove Saints forward Brandon Spaulding from behind last Wednesday.

You can listen to every Pontiacs game, all season on www.lakelandconnect.thedev.ca/pontiacs.