The Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs brought high energy to the rink during their back-to-back games on home ice.
They ended the weekend with three out of the four points up for grabs after a win on Friday night against Drayton Valley, followed by a down to the wire loss against the Fort McMurray Oil Barons on Saturday.
Starting off on a high note
The local team kicked-off their two-game weekend with a win, defeating the Drayton Valley Thunder 5-3 on Friday, Nov. 17.
“We created more offence against a team that is not as defensively sound as the Fort McMurray Oil Barons. It's nice to get three out of four points in a two-game weekend series, but it's going to be a continuing process. We know we have to play our best hockey come March,” said head coach Rick Swan. “These are those learning lessons that we have to continue to take with us.”
The scoring started early for the Pontiacs who found the back of the net on a powerplay goal by P.J. Marrocco just under two-minutes into the first.
The Thunder came rumbling into the rink with a powerplay goal of their own at 10:40.
The tie was short-lived with Pontiac Lucas Thorne sending another between the posts.
Derek Brown kicked off his scoring of the night 45 seconds into the second period.
Drayton Valley would catch up, bringing the score 3-2.
The back and forth continued, with Carson Erhardt scoring the team's fourth goal of the game, followed by a rebuttal from the Thunder.
Bringing the scoring to a close was Kash Rasmussen in the third period, with only seconds left on the clock.
Pontiacs fall during penalty kill
It was a penalty kill in the third that landed the Pontiacs a 2-1 loss to the Oil Barons on Saturday, Nov. 18.
Regardless of the tough loss, Swan said it's just another learning opportunity for the young team.
“I know that it burned a little bit, them scoring that goal in the last minute, but then again it comes down to discipline,” he said.
The game started off strong for the Oil Barons, who scored with seven minutes left in the first, sending the game into the second period 1-0.
The Pontiacs came back with high energy and ready for a fight, which was clear when Derek Brown scored a powerplay goal after just 30-seconds.
Tension grew high as player frustration escalated. The Pontiacs were hitting the Barons with everything they had.
A penalty late into the third had thedefence working hard. They made it through unscathed, but a second penalty only minutes later would cost them the game.
Zach Aston took a two-minute penalty for cross-checking with even less time on the clock.
The Oil Barons took advantage of their extra player and scored the game-winning goal.
“It wasn't a matter of us breaking down in our structure. It was a matter of us just having a soft clear. It's a soft clear that allowed them to continue to create that offensive zone. All they did was keep it simple,” expressed Swan.
The Pontaics will take this as a learning opportunity for their young players.
“I think at times, we're showing signs that we're moving forward in the right direction, but we know there are going to be times where we've got to allow our veterans to be the ones to lead the way, because our young guys are going to make mistakes,” Swan said. “As young guys, we have to try and stay positive, and learn from those mistakes so we can continually get better and go in the right direction.”
Brown agreed that veteran players, such as himself, take on a leadership role amongst the team.
“We have to take on a role of showing them the way, helping them not only in practice, but especially in a game where you have to push the pace and show them how it's done,” he said. “That's kind of the role we all play.”
The Pontiacs are on the road for the next four games, starting with their matchup against the Canmore Eagles on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
