MENZIES: Bonnyville Pontiacs weather Thunder in 4-3 road win

Bachman Turner-Overdrive said it best, “We be takin’ care of business…”

…And so the Bonnyville Pontiacs did on Friday night in Drayton Valley.

Facing a team with a similar record so far this season — but one the Yaks feel they need to beat if they’re going to start climbing into the upper echelon of the Alberta Junior Hockey League — saw the Pontiacs never trail in a 4-3 victory, but tested on multiple occasions to put the Thunder away.

“I thought guys did a really good job tonight. For the most part, we stuck to our gameplan. There was a couple breakdowns for sure, we’re a young team, there’s going to be those breakdowns, but we’re learning,” said assistant coach Chad Carder.

Offensive contributions from the blueline helped paved the way.

Bronson Ross first scored, but then the Thunder replied three minutes later. Mathieu Lajoie finished in front of the net, which was originally disallowed but then able to stand for the Pontiacs to re-establish the lead in the 2nd period.

Then right on cue, the Thunder’s leading scorer in Cooper Brown tied it again 1:42 later.

Locked in seemingly a stalemate, defenceman Alex Coventry, in his first game since Sept. 26, was able to capitalize on mounting Pontiacs pressure in the slot to score his first goal with the team. That goal, moments before the 2nd intermission, changed the flow and direction of the game.

Rearguard Drew Peterson fired a 3rd period laser beam that stunned Nicholas Christiano top corner, adding needed insurance down the stretch.

After so many road woes, the Pontiacs put together a solid 60-minute effort.

“It’s a good confidence booster for sure.”

Harvey fits in, Coventry fills out

With two 16-year-olds already in the lineup in Mat Lajoie and Rockston Ror-Chow, the Pontiacs had a highly touted 15-year-old in the lineup in Drayton Valley.

Ben Harvey, selected 4th overall in the latest WHL Bantam Draft to the Prince Albert Raiders, affiliated with the Pontiacs and provided a solid game.

He is the youngest player to play this season in the AJHL, just a couple weeks after he captained Team Alberta in the WHL Cup.

“I thought Harvey came in and played a phenomenal role. You can tell he can think the game at a really high level,” said Carder.

Keep an eye on whether the Pontiacs use him more as an affiliate to fulfill spot duty.

Meanwhile, the Pontiacs are getting healthier. Christophe Lussier returned to the lineup after missing the last two games, and Coventry’s presence on the backend is a stabilizing force.

The team was patient with his wrist injury, making sure there were no nagging issues before he suited up again.

“It was a long process being out, but I feel really ready to go. I feel well-rested, not rushing to get back into things. I’m ready to go,” said Coventry before the game.

The 6’6″ defenceman in his second season of Jr. A hockey got hurt in practice following the AJHL showcase on Sept. 26. Adding a goal to his statsheet on Friday, he now has 1 goal and 4 assists in just six appearances.

He thinks the team is starting to click together details needed to take the next step.

“I think we have a lot of skill, but like we’ve seen, the games where we’re more desperate off the jump, and work really hard and focus on the smaller details in the d-zone — take care of the puck — it allows our skill to shine.

5-on-5 a key to success

Early in the season, the Pontiacs were too often shorthanded, and too often giving up goals while on the kill.

A game like Friday’s shows, when the Pontiacs play 5-on-5 and avoid trips to the box, they are going to be dangerous.

While the powerplay percentage got dinged with a DV double minor for high sticking with just 47 seconds left (putting them 0/4 instead of 0/2), the momentum created from the 2nd period man advantage was parlayed into the Coventry go ahead goal.

However, the PP must improve. It sits dead last in the league, having scored just 10 times in 78 tries, for a 12.8 per cent conversion rate.

That will be under the microscope in an upcoming game like Saturday, when the Calgary Canucks who sit 2nd on the PP come to town.

Notes

• Games in hand to the max. With back-to-back weeks with just one game, the Pontiacs have an unusual number of games in hand that can change the complexion of their season in December. They have four games in hand on the Fort McMurray Oil Barons, and five in hand on the Lloyd Bobcats.
• The MOB came back to beat the Whitecourt Wolverines 4-3 in overtime in their lone contest last weekend. The Bobcats are hot having won eight of their last 10 games, but their schedule is set to get harder.
• Myles Gauld’s assist on the Lajoie marker extends to his point streak to a league-wide season best ten games, and ties him with Kailus Green for the team lead in points with 15.
• Lajoie is 2nd in the league amongst 2008-born players in points, with four goals and eight assists.
• Cody Butikis’ 35 save effort was the most stops he’s made in a victory so far this season. He’s won three of his last four starts.
• This win was the fourth time this season the Pontiacs never trailed.
• The Yaks return for a pair of home games this weekend. First, the Drumheller Dragons come to town on Friday for the first time since the playoffs last year. Then, the Canucks visit on Saturday.
• While the Dragons have had the Yaks number lately, the Pontiacs have owned the Canucks at the RJ in recent years, blowing them out in two matchups last year.
• Once the Pontiacs move past this weekend, it’s another one game weekend at home. That’s when the schedule flips to a seven game sprint in the last 17 days before the holiday break.
• The World Jr. A Challenge is fast approaching, but it sounds like no Pontiacs have been selected for consideration from team builder Nigel Dube. Hosted in Camrose this year, the tournament will be just four teams: Canada West & East, United States, and Sweden.

You can listen to every game, all season on lakelandconnect.net/pontiacs.