The Bonnyville Pontiacs experienced mixed results during their latest three-game stretch.
The team kicked off the week with a 6-1 win over their rivals, the Lloydminster Bobcats, Tuesday, Nov. 7, at the R.J. Lalonde arena.
Veteran P.J. Marrocco continued his recent torrid pace, contributing a goal and two assists in the winning effort. Meanwhile, captain Charlie Gawlicki added two to his goal totals, and rookie Lucas Thorne picked up three assists.
Bobby Young, Zach Aston and Brayden Goulet also scored a goal each on the way to the 6-1 route of the Bobcats. With the win, the Pontiacs close out their season series with the Bobcats as winners in five out of six games.
“We've had great goaltending every time we've played them. That allows guys to be able to make mistakes while they're learning how to be efficient. In the games, we've played well against them. We've not deviated from our structure, which shows discipline and commitment,” explained Pontiacs head coach Rick Swan.
Three nights later on Nov. 10, the Pontiacs fell to the Grande Prairie Storm in overtime with a 5-4 final.
The Pontiacs offence picked up where they left off, but the same could not be said on the back end. Marrocco kept his success going in the first period, helping the Pontiacs out to a 2-1 lead with a pair of goals.
In the second period, the team began to stray from their structure, allowing the Storm to score three unanswered goals to take the lead 4-2. Undeterred by the defensive breakdown, Marrocco went back to work, capping off his hat-trick on the power play to bring the Pontiacs within one.
The local team continued to pour the pressure on down the stretch, with Bobby Young scoring the tying goal. Despite their comeback effort, the Pontiacs had to settle for a single point after Justin Bernier ended the contest for the Storm, with an unassisted marker.
While they didn't get the result they wanted, the team will use the performance as a measuring tool on how they stack up with the top teams in the division.
“We're moving in the right direction. You can see how far our young guys have come, how hard they're playing and where there skill and improvement has gone. Grande Prairie is a good team that's ahead of us, but these guys are getting used to the competition in the league,” said Swan.
There was little time to bounce back from the loss, as the team was back in action at home on Sunday, Nov. 12 against the Whitecourt Wolverines.
A sluggish start proved costly for the Pontiacs as the Wolverines jumped out to an early lead on a weak shot that snuck through goaltender Sandro Silverstre's five-hole. With a lead established, the Wolverines went to work, making good on a power play opportunity early in the second, extending the lead to 2-0.
“Our starts need to be a little better. We were better in the second, and we were pretty good in the third, but we can't take those first 20-minutes off,” said Pontiacs forward Adam Panacci.
Any momentum the Pontiacs built was erased after a relentless Wolverine attack. Shortly after, Riley Smith opened the scoring for Bonnyville.Whitecourt answered with a goal of their own, bringing the score to 3-1.
The third period mimicked the second, with the Pontiacs pulling within one only to have the lead erased shortly after. While the offence picked up play in the last half of the period, the Wolverine goaltender stood tall. The opposing team would add one more on the way to a 5-2 win over the Pontiacs.
“There's nothing too sexy about their team but they have a lot of substance. They're well coached and they play the game the right way for 200-feet. Their players make sure they're fully committed to their structur. That's where we want to eventually get. This was a really good test for us,” said Swan.
The loss moves the Pontiacs to 9-9-4, and seven points back of the Storm for fifth place in the Viterra AJHL North Division. Their next matchup is on Friday, Nov. 17, at the R.J. Lalonde Arena against the Drayton Valley Thunder.
