Pontiacs Split Home Series with Storm, Hit the Road Looking to Build Momentum

The Bonnyville Jr A Pontiacs gave their home crowd plenty to cheer about Friday night, holding off the Grande Prairie Storm for a 3-2 victory before a two-goal performance from Brady Whitehead highlighted a hard-fought 6-3 loss Saturday.

Two games at R.J. Lalonde Arena. Six goals for the Yaks. One win, one loss and another weekend that showed both the promise and the growing pains of a Pontiacs squad working to find consistency in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

The October 23–24 home series brought together two familiar opponents who had already met in Grande Prairie earlier in the month, when the Storm shut out Bonnyville 2-0.

This time, the Pontiacs had an answer.

They struck early Friday, converted both power-play opportunities and survived a late push to secure their second consecutive home victory.

Saturday was a different story. Bonnyville erased a two-goal deficit to tie the game in the third period, only to watch the Storm respond with three unanswered goals.

And now, with three road games ahead, the Yaks have another opportunity to turn flashes of strong hockey into a more consistent 60-minute effort.

Mercier Calls for More Offence and Stronger Battles

Ahead of the weekend, Pontiacs head coach Chad Mercier joined Lakeland Connect to discuss the challenges of facing a fast, deep Grande Prairie team.

The Yaks were coming off their first home victory of the season, a 4-1 win over Olds, but Mercier knew the Storm would present a different challenge.

Creating more dangerous scoring opportunities from sustained offensive-zone possession remained a priority, along with special teams and puck management.

Grande Prairie’s ability to attack quickly meant Bonnyville couldn’t afford careless turnovers or missed assignments.

Mercier also emphasized the importance of individual battles.

“The more one-on-one battles you win with and without the puck always becomes the difference maker.”

That message would prove especially relevant over the next two nights.

Veteran defenceman Maxim Shushkov echoed the need to make Grande Prairie work in its own end.

“Their forwards like to play offense. They don’t like to play defense,” Shushkov said ahead of the series.

It was a straightforward approach: keep the puck deep, control possession and capitalize when opportunities presented themselves.

Friday night, the Pontiacs did exactly that.

Friday, October 23: Yaks Strike Three Times Early, Hold Off Storm 3-2

Bonnyville came out firing Friday night, putting three goals on the board in a span of just 5:42 during the opening period.

And the power play was leading the charge.

Damen Vanderberg opened the scoring at 8:42, burying his sixth goal of the season with Braden Walters and Owen McCarthy collecting the assists.

Less than five minutes later, the Yaks struck again with the man advantage.

Bakker scored his second of the campaign at 13:31, finishing a play from Brock MacDougall and McCarthy.

Two power plays. Two goals.

Then came the third.

Just 53 seconds after Bakker’s marker, Matthew Hilderman found the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season, with Braeden Payne and Cold Lake product Connor Nickle picking up the assists.

Three goals before the first intermission had Bonnyville firmly in the driver’s seat.

The second period passed without a goal, but Grande Prairie wasn’t going quietly.

At 8:57 of the third, Larmand broke through to cut the lead to 3-1.

Then, with just over four minutes remaining, Grycan converted on the power play to bring the Storm within one.

Suddenly, Bonnyville’s three-goal cushion had nearly disappeared.

But Maverick Bell and the Yaks held their ground.

Bell finished with 23 saves on 25 shots as the Pontiacs closed out a 3-2 victory.

Bonnyville was outshot 25-23, but the difference was established early. The Yaks converted both power-play opportunities, while Grande Prairie finished 1-for-2.

After being shut out by the Storm on October 10, Bonnyville had found a way to beat them.

And for the second straight home game, the Pontiacs were celebrating two points at R.J. Lalonde Arena.

Shushkov Embraces the Rivalry and Home-Ice Energy

For Shushkov, facing Grande Prairie is a familiar assignment.

The third-year Pontiac has seen plenty of the Storm during his time in Bonnyville, and he knows their physical style.

“GP’s up there for sure. I’ve seen them quite a few times, being here for three years now. And they’re a physical team every year, so it’s always a fun challenge.”

The 2006-born defenceman also entered the weekend with a little momentum of his own, having scored his first goal of the season against Drayton Valley on October 16.

“Felt good to finally get one and kind of hopefully get the ball rolling,” he said.

Shushkov credited the atmosphere in Bonnyville for providing an extra spark.

“I guess the home crowd kind of gets me fired up a bit.”

He also identified Lloydminster as his favourite rival to face, another reminder of the competitive relationships that make the AJHL’s northern matchups worth watching.

Against Grande Prairie, Shushkov contributed an assist on Saturday, helping set up Bonnyville’s opening goal.

Saturday, October 24: Whitehead’s Two-Goal Night Sparks Comeback

Saturday’s rematch started almost exactly opposite to Friday.

This time, it was Grande Prairie delivering the early punches.

Kjemhus opened the scoring at 4:34 of the first period, and Richards followed just 40 seconds later.

Before the game was six minutes old, the Pontiacs were staring at a 2-0 deficit.

Jake Pilon’s night ended after the second goal, with Bell taking over in the Bonnyville crease.

The Yaks needed a response.

Braden Walters provided it at 14:10, scoring his second goal of the season with assists from Shushkov and McCarthy.

Bonnyville trailed 2-1 after the opening period, but the Storm restored their two-goal advantage just 1:02 into the second when Bissett found the back of the net.

Down 3-1, the Pontiacs needed someone to take over offensively.

Brady Whitehead answered the call.

At 16:23 of the second period, the Edmonton forward scored his first goal of the season, finishing a play from Rylan Emigh and Nickle.

That brought Bonnyville within one heading into the final frame.

Then, just 61 seconds into the third, Whitehead struck again.

Eric Ripka drew the assist as Whitehead buried his second of the night, tying the game 3-3.

A two-goal deficit erased.

A home crowd back in it.

And suddenly, the Yaks had a chance to turn the weekend into a sweep.

But Grande Prairie had other plans.

Richter restored the Storm’s lead at 4:42 of the third period.

Bissett added his second of the night at 11:22, and Goulet followed at 12:36.

Three unanswered goals in less than eight minutes put the game out of reach.

Grande Prairie took the rematch 6-3, outshooting Bonnyville 36-25.

Pilon finished with three saves on five shots, while Bell stopped 27 of 31 in relief.

Neither team scored on the power play, with the Storm going 0-for-4 and Bonnyville finishing 0-for-2.

Whitehead’s first two goals of the campaign were a bright spot, but the Yaks couldn’t turn their comeback into another victory.

Special Teams, Scoring Depth and the Push for Consistency

Across the two-game series, Bonnyville scored six goals, converted two of four power-play opportunities and received contributions from throughout the lineup.

Vanderberg continued his productive start with his sixth goal of the season. Hilderman added his fourth, while Bakker and Walters each found the back of the net.

McCarthy collected three assists over the weekend, Nickle picked up two, and Whitehead delivered a pair of goals that briefly brought the Pontiacs all the way back Saturday.

But the contrast between the two nights was hard to ignore.

On Friday, Bonnyville built a lead and survived the Storm’s late pressure.

On Saturday, the Yaks fought back to tie the game but couldn’t stop Grande Prairie’s third-period surge.

The Storm, who entered the week leading the AJHL’s North Division, demonstrated why they’re among the early contenders.

For Bonnyville, the challenge remains finding that same level of execution throughout an entire game.

Mercier’s message about winning individual battles, managing the puck and generating quality chances remains the standard.

The Pontiacs have now won two of their last three home games, with victories over Olds and Grande Prairie.

There are signs of progress, particularly in the team’s ability to generate offence from multiple players.

Now the Yaks take that challenge back onto the highway.

Up Next: Three Road Games, Starting Tonight in Fort McMurray

The Pontiacs head back on the road for two games this week before returning home Sunday.

Tuesday, October 27 — at Fort McMurray Oil Barons

The Yaks head north to Centerfire Place for a 7 p.m. puck drop against the Oil Barons.

Friday, October 30 — at Drayton Valley Thunder

Bonnyville travels to Drayton Valley for a 7 p.m. rematch with the Thunder, looking to answer its October 16 home loss.

Sunday, November 1 — vs. Calgary Canucks

The Pontiacs return to R.J. Lalonde Arena for a 5 p.m. matchup with Calgary.

Catch the play-by-play with Michael Menzies on Lakeland Connect, and follow Lakeland Connect for Pontiacs game photography and continued coverage.