Bobcats survive hot Pontiacs start to hand Yaks 6-2 loss

Following some positive signs in a 1-0 shutout win on Wednesday vs the Fort McMurray Oil Barons, the mistake counter started ratcheting up in frustrating 6-2 road loss to the Bobcats. The Bobcats have now won all three games in the season series. 

It’s the same things that haunt the Bonnyville Pontiacs.

After one of their best 18 minute stretches of the season, ahead 2-0 on the Bobcats and playing well, they took a soft interference penalty and the Bobcats scored on the ensuing powerplay.

That was the first of six unanswered goals against, as the Yaks never resembled that same team at the beginning again.

Six different goal scorers beat Cody Butikis, who after a strong start with multiple ten-bell saves, had to deal with rush after rush in the latter stages.

The finish to the game should be a concern.

“It started again with stupid penalties,” said assistant coach Chad Carder, as the Yaks were shorthanded seven times once again.

The Bobcats got their offence going with a late marker on the man advantage. Overall, the time spent penalty killing upended any momentum generated 5-on-5.

Plus, it seemed they got away from what was working.

“First period, we’re with the gameplan. Get the puck deep, get their D turning, get in on the forecheck, disrupting in the corners. Our F2 was quick on pucks. We get to the second period, it’s hope plays through the middle, we’re one and done in their zone,” said Carder.

“Our guys didn’t adjust to it. We talked about it in the intermission…ultimately the penalties took what little wind we had out of our sails. And I thought we gave up a little bit in the 3rd period.”

WATCH: Postgame with Chad Carder

The task at hand

There were hopes that the Pontiacs could turn the corner.

An emotional 1-0 shutout win for Bonnyville over Fort McMurray on Wednesday night, with Butikis shutting door 29 times, could have been a rallying cry.

But the road horrors continued.

The Yaks record away from the RJ Lalonde is now 1-6-2.

Porter Byrd-Leitner and Michiel Leenders each scored their first AJHL goals in that opening frame. With 10 shots in the initial period, only 12 more would follow the rest of the night.

The Bobcats have five of their last seven games, and have a four point cushion on the Yaks for the last playoff spot in the AJHL North.

However, Bonnyville does have three games in hand, with Lloyd playing the most games of anyone in the league. But the season series is lopsided.

With a return date vs Lloyd back at home on Friday, and a quick road game on Sunday vs the Devon Xtreme, the next two games are against the teams right near Bonnyville in the standings.

After that, 11 of the last 14 before Christmas are at home, but against stiffer competition.

It’s continual defending mistakes, with an inconsistent and flailing offence, that makes this Bonnyville Pontiacs team hard to figure out.

Four times they’ve scored the first goal this year, but yet they’ve won just one of them. With poor starts early in the season a problem, lately they’ve been much better, and arguably got their best start on Saturday.

At some point in the game, the Yaks will begin chasing, struggle to break out, and put the puck in harm’s way. Their shifts following goals, either their own or the opposition, result in negative plays.

Yes, it is a young team. There are only four 20-year-olds of a possible eight, and none on their backend, a defensive corps that is missing two huge pieces in Alex Coventry and Lynden Hanvold due to injury. Neither will return right away.

Cade Meiklejohn also left the game in the 2nd period and went to the hospital, and won’t return quickly either.

Whatever ails this team, and there’s a lot of symptoms, needs to be turned around quickly, or they risk digging themselves too big a hole they can’t climb out of.

“At some point, they have to figure it out.”