Thrilling home shootout win for Pontiacs cooled by Thunder’s late goal to split weekend

The exhilaration of victory, but the pain of close defeat. That summarizes a weekend of Pontiacs hockey, where the weekends are becoming fewer and fewer. 

Image credit: Emma Jonker Photography. Slade Firkus continues to climb amongst Bonnyville scoring leaders.

The score was 4-3. 

One toward the good, one toward the bad. A split weekend for the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs saw the entertaining highs of how this team can play, and the lows of puck management mistakes in a close game. 

At this stage of the year, it’s huge to collect wins against playoff teams like Camrose – it hurts to lose in regulation to teams outside the picture like the Drayton Valley Thunder. 

In short, it was a weekend that regales 2024 more than in recent weeks. 

The Yaks played their best game of the calendar year on Friday, but couldn’t carry that momentum into the next night. 

In a season where their longest win streak is two – and it’s only been done once – this weekend was an oft sang song for the Bonnyville Pontiacs. 

Some great things, and some costly mistakes.

Big Mary’s for all

In the first night of the Yaks new promotion with Mary Browns (free Big Mary’s for fans after a home Pontiacs victory), fans were able to beat the house for 81 Big Mary’s.

Porter Byrd-Leitner and Slade Firkus each had a goal and an assist, and Cody Butikis made 42 saves en route to victory in the shootout.

Bonnyville never trailed in the game, capitalizing with an early goal from Myles Gauld against his former club, his first tally of three this weekend.

The Kodiaks replied a minute later on a weird looping drive from the blueline that eluded Butikis.

The game shifted back and forth. The Pontiacs would take the lead, the Kodiaks would tie it up at some point.

The bottom line was, the Yaks best players were their best players.

“When those guys are pulling the rope the hardest, it helps our younger guys follow suit and do the same thing,” said assistant coach Chad Carder in the post-game. “It was nice to see them working hard and getting pucks behind the D.” 

Overtime got a little hairy, but it also provided Butikis’ best hockey of the night. He turned away six shots to force a shootout.

While that’s been its own house of horrors this year (shooting 2/20 with both goals coming from injured Dayton Reschny), the Yaks found the back of the net twice with Slade Firkus’ inside-outside move, and Mat Lajoie’s wrister.

Butikis did the Tiger William’s ride the stick celebration after the emotional win.

“That was the first thing that came to mind after that exhilarating game,” he joked afterward. “It was a good feeling and the team needed that.” 

Omniplex Errors

After an early goal against, the Pontiacs emerged out of the 1st period with a 2-1 road lead.

Porter Byrd-Leitner scored what was deemed the AJHL Play of the Week with an incredible step-by move with speed along the wing, and stretched to fire the puck home by Nicholas Christiano.

Coupled with the not-often-seen breakaway rebound goal for Gauld, the early momentum became the classic let-down 2nd period.

Drayton Valley is a team thrives on chip-and-chase hockey. A squad built with speed and a tilt-the-ice gameplan, they got back to work in the 2nd period, breaking down the Yaks d-zone on two occasions.

WATCH: Plays of the Week 

Bonnyville was turned over and over.

“We get to that second period, and I’m not sure where that will and communication and detail work went. It left for a good portion of that second period. It’s getting disappointing to see us flush those second periods away, because the rest of the game, it was 50-50,” explained Carder. 

Now trailing into the frame, Gauld scored again on the rush, almost identical to his goal from Friday.

Tied 3-3 down the stretch of the 3rd period, Taynton Lavender connected on a wonderful stretch pass from behind his net to the Pontiacs’ blueline, allowing Matthias Bessey to stride in and score what became the game winning goal.

“The mindset had to been off of a playoff like game. We had a chance to be seven points back of a playoff spot with a game in hand, Fort Mac lost tonight,” said Carder. 

“It’s getting tiresome to watch and repeating ourselves and showing video, and then having the same results happen.” 

Notes:

In terms of the post-season, the Pontiacs have a dozen games left to make up a nine point deficit in the standings. The Fort McMurray Oil Barons are currently on a massive southern road trip against the top four teams in the other division. So far, the MOB are 0-2 with Drumheller to play Tuesday night and Camrose on Wednesday.

The Yaks make one last trip to Fort Mac on Saturday, before heading to Camrose on Family Day Monday for a matinee matchup.

Yaks remaining schedule:

• Whitecourt (3x)
• Devon (2x)
• Fort McMurray (2x)
• Drumheller (2x)
• Grande Prairie
• Camrose
• Drayton Valley

Just how good has Porter Byrd-Leitner been lately? The Colgate commit has 8 goals, 11 assists, in his last 15 games. Only four of those has he been held off the scoreboard.

Myles Gauld now has the team lead in goals with 15.

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You can listen to ENT Oilfield Pontiacs Hockey on Lakeland Connect with Michael Menzies on lakelandconnect.net/pontiacs.