Five Games, Five Cities, Plenty of Fight: Pontiacs Battle Through Road Swing

Five games. Nine days. Hundreds of kilometres on the highway. The Bonnyville Jr A Pontiacs returned from a demanding stretch of AJHL hockey with two wins, an overtime point and signs of a young team finding its identity.

The Yaks covered plenty of ground between October 2 and 10, making stops in Drumheller, Calgary, Lloydminster, Whitecourt and Grande Prairie. When the dust settled, Bonnyville had collected five of a possible 10 points, finishing the road swing with a 2-2-1 record.

There were breakout performances, first goals, a gutsy comeback against a familiar rival and some serious work between the pipes.

There were also lessons. Slow starts, missed opportunities and an offence that couldn’t quite find its footing every night.

But through five games against five different opponents, one thing was clear: this Pontiacs group isn’t short on compete.

And one young forward is making an early case for a bigger role in the conversation.

 

Vanderberg Finding His Game at the Junior A Level

At just 17, Damen Vanderberg is wasting little time making an impression in Bonnyville.

The Lethbridge product scored four times during the five-game road trip, including a two-goal performance against Whitecourt that helped the Yaks secure a 3-2 victory.

Before that game, Vanderberg joined Lakeland Connect play-by-play broadcaster Michael Menzies to talk about his transition from U18 hockey to the AJHL.

“I thought I started off pretty good here, getting used to junior hockey,” Vanderberg said. “I’m playing alongside some good players to help me out here. So, yeah, it’s helping me out, putting up some points and creating offence throughout the group.”

The 2009-born forward isn’t exactly undersized. At six feet and 195 pounds, Vanderberg brings a combination of size and speed that has already helped him create opportunities off the rush.

Still, he knows junior hockey is a different animal.

“It’s a lot different, a lot more physical, a lot bigger guys than U18. But I think I’m fitting in well, and I’m a bigger guy, so I think that also helps me out with the physical play and bigger guys.”

He also emphasized the importance of getting pucks on net and establishing a strong start.

A few hours later, he backed up the talk with two goals.

That’s one way to make a statement.

 

Pilon Stands Tall as Pontiacs Take Down Dragons 4-1

The road trip opened in Drumheller, and the Pontiacs wasted little time getting to work.

Vanderberg struck first at 8:30 of the opening period, converting on the power play with assists from Nicholas Morin and Owen McCarthy.

Brock MacDougall doubled the advantage less than seven minutes later, finishing a play set up by Ismail Abougouche and Dalton Pamenter.

Drumheller answered with a power-play marker from Seminoff late in the first, but that would be the only puck to beat Jake Pilon all night.

The Pontiacs netminder was locked in.

Pilon turned aside 39 of 40 shots, including 18 in the third period, as the Dragons pushed to get back into the game.

Bonnyville answered with a pair of third-period goals.

Hometown forward Rylan Emigh scored his first of the season just 24 seconds into the final frame, with Maxim Shushkov and Brady Whitehead collecting assists.

Louis Prystupa added his first of the campaign into an empty net at 18:40, with Eric Ripka and Pilon drawing the helpers.

The final was 4-1, but the story was just as much about the man in the crease as the four goals on the board.

Drumheller had eight power-play opportunities and converted only once.

Pilon made sure the Yaks left town with two points.

 

Third-Period Push Falls Short Against Calgary

The following night in Calgary, the Pontiacs found themselves chasing the game early.

The Canucks struck twice in the opening period, with Halat opening the scoring just 2:28 in before Rich-Holden extended the lead at 14:06.

Halat added his second of the night on the power play midway through the second, putting Bonnyville in a three-goal hole.

But the Yaks weren’t packing it in.

MacDougall got Bonnyville on the board at 18:03 of the middle frame, finishing a play from Ripka and Vanek Popil.

Then, just 1:56 into the third, defenceman Owen McCarthy buried his first goal of the season, cutting Calgary’s lead to one.

Suddenly, the Canucks had a game on their hands.

Bonnyville poured 18 shots on goal in the third period alone, outshooting Calgary 39-27 overall.

The pressure was there. The chances were there.

The equalizer wasn’t.

Calgary goaltender Hutchison held the door shut, making 37 saves to preserve the 3-2 victory.

It was a frustrating result for a Pontiacs team that generated plenty of offence but couldn’t erase the damage from the opening 40 minutes.

No Backing Down in Border Battle with Lloydminster

There isn’t much love lost when Bonnyville and Lloydminster meet, and Tuesday’s matchup at the Cenovus Energy Hub delivered another chapter in the rivalry.

Before puck drop, Pontiacs defenceman Ismail “Izzy” Abougouche had a message.

The Lac La Biche product, who has returned to northeastern Alberta after spending time playing junior hockey in the Western League, wasn’t interested in letting the Bobcats dictate the physical side of the game.

“Lloyd’s a pretty big and physical team, so I think we just got to match their energy and not get pushed around in the corners, in front of the net and after whistles,” Abougouche told Menzies.

His message was simple.

“We be the bullies out there. They can’t bully us.”

The Bobcats grabbed the early advantage, scoring twice in the first period, including a power-play goal with just six seconds remaining.

Bonnyville needed a response.

Vanderberg delivered one just 16 seconds into the second period, finishing a play from Deegan Kinniburgh and Braeden Payne to cut the deficit in half.

Lloydminster restored its two-goal cushion late in the period, but Matthew Hilderman wasn’t about to let the Bobcats carry that momentum into the dressing room.

With 12 seconds remaining, Hilderman converted on a penalty shot to bring the Yaks within one.

Then came the third-period equalizer.

At 8:07, Braden Walters scored his first goal of the season on the power play, with Morin and Hilderman picking up the assists.

From down 2-0 and later 3-1, the Pontiacs had battled all the way back.

Overtime would decide it.

Unfortunately for Bonnyville, Lloydminster’s Hopko ended the night at 2:33 of the extra frame, giving the Bobcats a 4-3 victory.

The Yaks left with one point, but the comeback showed a team willing to fight its way back into a game that could easily have slipped away.

Abougouche Sees Growth on the Blue Line

Despite the early-season challenges, Abougouche believes Bonnyville’s defensive group has the experience to become one of the team’s biggest strengths.

“I truly think we have the best back end in the whole league,” he said during his October 6 interview.

“We have a lot of games played and a lot of experience through the whole D-corps.”

Abougouche acknowledged that changing defensive partners early in the season created some challenges, but said the pairings were beginning to settle.

“It’s just every game you can tell it’s getting better and better. Now we just got to start getting a few more points and getting in the win column here.”

For the 20-year-old, there’s also something meaningful about playing close to home.

“It’s obviously nice to be close to home, Bonnyville being my hometown junior team,” he said.

It’s a connection that runs deeper than the scoreboard for a player representing the Lakeland region at the Junior A level.

 

Vanderberg Doubles Down, Crellin Delivers Winner in Whitecourt

If the Lloydminster comeback showed Bonnyville’s resilience, Friday night in Whitecourt showed what happens when the Yaks turn pressure into production.

The Wolverines struck first, taking a 1-0 lead into the opening intermission.

But the second period belonged to Vanderberg.

The rookie tied the game at 8:22 on the power play, converting a setup from Popil and Shushkov.

Exactly four minutes later, he struck again.

This time, Payne picked up the assist as Vanderberg buried his second of the night and fifth of the season.

Whitecourt answered before the period ended, sending the teams into the third tied 2-2.

With the game hanging in the balance, Nathan Crellin stepped up.

At 8:33 of the final frame, Crellin scored his first goal of the season, with Payne and Walters collecting assists.

It stood as the game-winner.

Pilon handled the rest, finishing with 30 saves as the Pontiacs secured a 3-2 road victory.

Bonnyville fired 42 shots on goal, including 15 in the third period, while holding Whitecourt to just six shots in the final 20 minutes.

It was a complete finish to a tight hockey game.

Vanderberg’s two-goal night earned the headlines, Payne chipped in with two assists, and Crellin picked an excellent time to get off the mark.

Two points. On the road. Against a tough opponent.

Exactly what the Yaks needed.

October 10: Storm Shut the Door in Grande Prairie

The final stop of the road swing brought the Pontiacs to Grande Prairie, where the offence that had generated 42 shots the night before couldn’t find the same rhythm.

The Storm opened the scoring midway through the first period on a goal from Miller.

Bonnyville had opportunities to respond, including a pair of early second-period power plays, but couldn’t solve Grande Prairie goaltender Dikur.

Gerbrandt added a power-play goal with just 1:06 remaining in the second, giving the Storm a 2-0 advantage.

That would be all the scoring.

Dikur stopped all 25 Bonnyville shots to earn the shutout, while Maverick Bell made 32 saves on 34 shots in the Pontiacs crease.

Bonnyville finished 0-for-3 with the man advantage, and despite another third-period power-play opportunity, couldn’t find the breakthrough.

After a strong offensive showing in Whitecourt, the Yaks were held to seven shots in the final period against Grande Prairie.

A tough way to close the trip, but Bell gave his team a chance to stay in the fight.

Five Points, Four Vanderberg Goals and a Team Still Building

Five games in nine days is no small assignment, especially with every puck drop coming in somebody else’s building.

The Pontiacs finished the stretch with 12 goals for and 12 against, five standings points and plenty to take back to Bonnyville.

Vanderberg led the way offensively with four goals, while Pilon delivered some of the trip’s biggest saves.

There were first goals for Emigh, Prystupa, McCarthy, Walters and Crellin. There was a comeback against Lloydminster, a hard-earned victory in Whitecourt and a reminder in Calgary and Grande Prairie that the margin for error in the AJHL can be razor-thin.

The results weren’t perfect.

But the pieces are there.

Abougouche sees a defensive group coming together. Vanderberg is finding his scoring touch. And the Yaks have shown they can push back when a game starts getting away from them.

Now comes the next challenge: turning those stretches of strong hockey into consistent results.

And this time, they’ll have the home crowd behind them.

Up Next: The Yaks Are Back in Bonnyville

After five straight road games, the Pontiacs return to R.J. Lalonde Arena for a pair of home dates.

Friday, October 16: The Drayton Valley Thunder visit Bonnyville for a 7 p.m. puck drop.

Saturday, October 17: The Olds Grizzlys roll into town for another 7 p.m. start.

Two games. Two nights. Back on home ice.

Can’t make it to the rink? Catch the play-by-play with Michael Menzies on Lakeland Connect, where you can also follow Pontiacs coverage and game photography.