The Bonnyville Atom Pontiacs dream season came to an end this past weekend after four hard-fought games against some stiff competition at provincials.
Although the Pontiacs benefitted from hosting the Atom AA Minor tournament they weren't able to get those home ice bounces and were eliminated after going 1-3 in round robin play.
In the tournament opener the hometown Pontiacs were caught off guard by the Stony Plain Predators and thumped 9-3. The next morning they were right back at it taking on the Canmore Eagles.
“It was a game were we out chanced them, out played them, out worked them and out shot them but we couldn't bury it. They capitalized on our mistakes and came away with a victory,” said Pontiacs head coach Darcy Skarsen. “That was a turning point. If we come away with a victory everything looks different.”
The Pontiacs and Eagles were tied 2-2 in the dying minutes of the second period before Canmore was able to net a shorthanded goal and take the 3-2 lead. The Eagles held on for a 5-3 win handing Bonnyville their second loss of the tournament.
Hours later Bonnyville got in the win column with an 8-1 victory over the KC Cougars. The victory gave them an outside shot at making it to the semi-finals heading into their final game against the Camrose Vikings.
“It was a really good hard fought game. We just didn't get the breaks we wanted to. We played really well, gave ourselves a chance but at the end of the day we just weren't able to put it away,” said Skarsen.
The Vikings edged the Pontiacs 2-1 and officially eliminated the Pontiacs from the tournament.
“I am so proud of these boys for what they accomplished this season. They've worked extremely hard to win a league title, the zone championship and fell just short this weekend for the provincial title. They've done an excellent job representing the coaches, BMHA, the town and most importantly the Pontiacs logo on their chest.”
