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Pontiacs take first spot in AJHL north standings

The Bonnyville Pontiacs have made their way into first place for the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) North standings after a streak of wins last week. The Pontiacs are leading with 12 points, 10 wins, and two losses for a total of 20 points.
Derek Brown brings the puck out from behind the net in the second period on Saturday as they took on the Drayton Valley Thunder for their second home game of the weekend.
Derek Brown brings the puck out from behind the net in the second period on Saturday as they took on the Drayton Valley Thunder for their second home game of the weekend.

The Bonnyville Pontiacs have made their way into first place for the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) North standings after a streak of wins last week.

The Pontiacs are leading with 12 points, 10 wins, and two losses for a total of 20 points. They managed to steal the top spot after their two wins against Drayton Valley over the weekend and a strong game against the Lloydminister Bobcats on Wednesday.

Pontiacs defeat Bobcats on own turf

The Bonnyville Pontiacs may not have been on their own ice on Wednesday, Oct. 12, but they still brought home the win after defeating the Lloydminister Bobcats in a neck and neck game that saw a final score of 8-6.

It was after a goal by Pontiacs forward Derek Brown that the team seemed to pick up their game.

Heading into the second, the Pontiacs were down 5-2, with the first goal of the game scored by Alden Dupuis just under 10 minutes into the first. The second goal followed shortly after by Jake Gresh.

With less than 10 minutes into the second period, Brown scored a much needed goal after watching Brendan Holterhus and Evan Katelnikoff battle it out for the puck the corner.

"Originally I thought Holterhus was going to shoot it, but there was someone right in front of him, so he just passed it to me, and I knew that the goalie wasn't going to see it because there was a defenceman screening him, so I fired it. I was going upstairs and I knew it was going in," Brown described, adding he knew he needed to score to help boost the morale of the team, which would later get them the win.

The Pontiacs picked up their game, with three more goals in the second period, with Dupuis scoring the fourth goal for the Pontiacs, bringing the team more in line with the Bobcats lead of 5-4. Luke Israel tied up the game at 16:53, a goal that was followed by another scored by PJ Marrocco on a power play.

"That was incredible to watch. As soon as I scored I went by the bench, and said let's go guys, now we're in it, and we got the momentum and we just started firing off goals, and it was really awesome to see that response," said Brown.

The third period saw the same level of dedication, with the Pontiacs scoring another two goals. The first goal was scored at 7:24 by Jake Gresh on a power play with Brandon Whistle and Brown on the assist, followed by the final goal of the game scored by Trygve Many Guns, assisted by Brown and Ryan Piche, with less than three minutes on the clock.

Pontiacs assistant coach Neil Langridge said five of the six goals scored on the Pontiacs on Wednesday were power play goals.

"There's definitely some work to be done on our penalty kill, and maybe try and stay out of the penalty box at the same time."

Langridge added even though the team was down 5-2 they didn't lose hope, and managed to step up and get the win.

"Derek Brown really didn't take his foot off the gas, and I really think he was our best player, he really stepped up and scored that big goal and that really turned the tides for us."

Home game brings strong win for Pontiacs

The Bonnyville Pontiacs had a good weekend of hockey as they hosted the Drayton Valley Thunder Friday, Oct. 14.

Right out of the gate, the Pontiacs took charge, scoring two goals within minutes of hitting the ice.

The first was scored by Brandon Whistle on a power play after Drayton Valley received two minutes for delay of game.

Less than 10 minutes on the clock and the Pontiacs brought the score up to 2-0, after a goal by Brown, assisted by Many Guns.

The Thunder returned the favour and got on the scoreboard after scoring their first goal of the weekend at 15:12.

Heading into the second Bonnyville continued to play strong, and managed another power play goal by Isaac Saniga under the halfway mark in the period

With less than five minutes on the clock, Piche scored the Pontiacs fourth goal of the game, with Ludvig Adamsen and Gresh on the assist.

The third period started with the Pontiacs leading 4-1, and saw a single goal from the Thunder at 4:03.

"I felt like we controlled a lot of the play, and we got goals from four different scorers," said assistant coach Mark Jensen.

Pontiacs prove they deserve top spot with second weekend win

The Pontiacs took down the Thunder in their second home game on Saturday night, as the two teams went head-to-head at the RJ Lalonde arena.

The Pontiacs were competing for first place of the AJHL North standings, and after the night's win, had managed to knock Spruce Grove out of their first place slot, something Brown said they are very proud of.

"This is huge. It's the first time in franchise history that Bonnyville has ever been in first place, so it feels really good."

The Pontiacs are up by one point after Spruce Grove lost in overtime on Saturday night.

In the first, the Pontiacs were down 1-0 against the Thunder, who scored a power play goal with two minutes left in the period.

During the intermission, the players took a moment to reassess their game plan.

"We calmed it down in the room, and we said to everybody, just calm it down. We need to get back in it," said Brown.

The pep talk worked, because with 10 minutes left in the second period, Brown scored an unassisted goal, and taking the goalie head on he flicked the puck straight into the net.

With five minutes left, the Thunder scored another goal, bringing the score up to 2-1. The Pontiacs weren't letting them get away that easy, and Jake Gresh tied up the game with just over two minutes left on the clock.

With a tied score of 2-2 heading into the third, people were on the edge of their seats as they watched their home team dominate the ice.

The period got off to a rough start, with a fight breaking out. Pontiac Preston Kugler stormed off the ice after duking it out with Mackenzie Mindus. Tensions were high as both teams continued the game at full strength.

With four minutes on the clock Bonnyville's Brandon Whistle scored their third goal of the game on a power play after the Thunder received a penalty for tripping.

The fourth goal for the Pontiacs came with just over seven minutes left in the period, scored by Brown and assisted by Whistle and Dupuis.

Holterhus scored the final goal of the game with less than two minutes left in the game.

The buzzer blew and so did tempers, with several players hitting the ice as punches were thrown. Refs broke up the fight and players headed off the ice.

Jensen said the Pontiacs knew Drayton Valley would be coming in playing hard after hosting them Friday, Oct. 7, and defeating them 5-4.

"We knew they were going to come at us with everything they had, and we had to be ready," Jensen said.

The Pontiacs next game is Wednesday, Oct. 19, at the RJ Lalonde arena. Puck drops at 7:30 as they take on the Sherwood Park Crusaders.

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