MENZIES: Frustration looms as Yaks losing skid reaches 7 after furious Canmore flurry

Brady Austin attempts a one-timer vs the Canmore Eagles. Image credit: Emma Jonker Photography.

Frustration is setting in for the Bonnyville Pontiacs.

When things are going good, they take a penalty. When they score a goal, they give one right back. When the powerplay gets working, they go soft defensively 5-on-5.

A tough OT loss 4-3 in Olds was a back and forth slugfest. Saturday in Canmore was a lacklustre 6-3 loss.

The Sunday rematch? Glimmers of a season turning around, but too little, too late in a 4-3 loss.

Oh, and a disallowed goal on a phantom goaltender interference call with 2:50 remaining in regulation to tie the game didn’t help either.

It’s a group that has deserved a better fate through 10 games. But that’s hockey.

One of the many sports clichés is: You are what you record is.

The Pontiacs are 2-6-2. It’s not where they want to be.

The losing streak is now at seven games, before they host the Fort McMurray Oil Barons on Wednesday.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that with a win, they’d be back in a playoff spot.

Postgame on Sunday

The Pontiacs await the game they go the Full Monty (not just an underrated 1997 British comedy), where everything clicks, more than one line is going at a time, and they shutdown the opposition.

There were moments in Sunday’s game of desperation, where the moment was realized.

However, after falling behind 2-0 through 20 minutes, the Pontiacs got within a goal thanks to a Myles Gauld powerplay goal.

Then, 26 seconds later, they give up an easy equalizer with no one patrolling the front of the net.

It was de ja vu later in the period.

Christophe Lussier made a wild deflection in the high slot to make it 3-2. And then you couldn’t make it up, the Yaks surrendered a goal just 12 seconds later.

All that work to end up with the same result.

Then came a 3rd period where the Pontiacs threw the kitchen sink towards Alex Schweiller with a season high 26 shots in the frame on the Canmore netminder.

With the Eagles taking a myriad of penalties, Dayton Reschny knifed the game to 4-3 with a bardown snapshot.

The Yaks then hit a post, Lajoie nearly extended the puck Schweiller, and on and on.

The gutshot was Kailus Green appearing to tie the game with 2:50 left, but the goal was disallowed due to goalie interference. Upon looking at the replay, it doesn’t appear the Pontiacs make any contact.

Even with seven seconds left they had three hack and whacks in front of the net. It was all for not.

“Those two goals after our goals can’t happen,” said assistant coach Chad Carder in the post-game.

“But after that, I thought we battled hard. Our guys dug in, and honestly, I thought we were robbed of a point.

“Obviously, the frustration is at a peak.”

Dayton Reschny

The Pontiacs forward made his season debut in Lloydminster, but over the three game weekend, scored his first AJHL goal, and added three assists.

He is bringing a ton of skill, after being 5th in scoring in all of Sask U18AAA last year.

What next?

The road has not been kind to the Pontiacs, who have played eight of their first ten on the road, and won just one of those games.

The last win was against the Whitecourt Wolverines on Sept. 20.

Four of the seven losses in the streak have been by one goal.

And with all that said, the Pontiacs are still just one point out of a playoff spot.

The next four games are all against divisional opponents right near them in the standings.

They host the Fort McMurray Oil Barons who are five points ahead of them. Then they are away at Lloyd on Saturday, home to Lloyd on Friday, Oct. 25, and at the Devon Xtreme on Sunday, Oct. 27.

That’s when a turning point could happen, at least as part of the schedule.

Bonnyville will be home for 11 of the last 14 games before the Christmas break, which could be an opportunity to turn their season around.

But any win will do at this point.

One observer’s opinion

In my view, this is not a talent issue. The Pontiacs aren’t losing because they have junk players.

It’s because they have the league’s worst penalty kill at 71 per cent, allowing 15 goals while shorthanded. Many of these penalties are ill-timed, and set back the momentum they are generating 5-on-5.

The run to the box also makes young offensive players like Max Lajoie and Christophe Lussier sit for extended periods, which in a game on Friday against Olds, was a big issue.

Conversely, the powerplay wasn’t generating until Sunday. It had been six consecutive games without a powerplay goal heading into that contest. Hopefully, the two goals with an extra man Sunday is a harbinger of a turnaround there.

They also get lost in their own zone, have poor shifts following their own goals, and are inconsistent.

All that adds up to 2-6-2.

It’s the longest losing streak for the Yaks since the 2017-18 season, where they lost eight in a row from Nov. 18-Dec. 6, 2017.

The good thing is, there’s another game tomorrow, and another chance to right the wrongs.

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