The Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs dropped to second in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) after a win and a loss.
After a shutout win against the Lloydminster Bobcats, the Pontiacs fell to the Brooks Bandits in overtime on home ice last week.
Pontiacs flatten Bobcats
The Pontiacs landed a 3-0 victory on the road over the Lloydminster Bobcats on Wednesday, Nov. 7.
Pontiac Daine Dubois started the evening off with a goal just over three minutes into the game.
Trey Thomas quickly followed suit, solidifying their 2-0 lead before the end of the period.
The Bobcats held Bonnyville off for most of the second frame, though Cayden Kraus managed to find the back of the net to secure their win.
Bonnyville goaltender Colby Muise refused to let any of the 22 shots on net by, recording the Pontiacs second shutout this season.
The Pontiacs celebrate after Grayson Constable’s goal in the third period.
Pontiacs lose in overtime
The Pontiacs went head-to-head against the Brooks Bandits, the top team in the AJHL south division, losing a hard fought battle 4-3 in overtime on Saturday, Nov. 10.
Head coach Rick Swan thought the loss showed the character of the team, who were disappointed with letting the win slip from their grasp.
“They feel that we’re better, we had an opportunity to build, to close this game a lot sooner,” he detailed.
Kraus started the game off fast for the Pontiacs, getting the first goal of the night less than three minutes into the first.
The Bandits evened up the score close the the nine-minute mark.
In the final seconds, Pontiac Luke Albert found the back of the net during a power play, ending the first frame in Bonnyville’s favour.
Brooks came out firing in the second, capturing the lone goal of the period to bring the score 2-2.
A power play in the third period gave Grayson Constable a window of opportunity. He added his name to the scoresheet.
Once again, the Bandits broke the Pontiacs’ lead, scoring one of their own before the sound of the buzzer.
“It was a hard fought 60-minute battle, we just got unlucky in overtime,” Constable noted.
Less than a minute into overtime, the Bandits scored the final goal of the night.
Grayson Constable keeps the puck away from the Brooks Bandits during the game.
“Obviously, with a game like that, it’s heartbreaking to lose in that kind of style,” recalled Pontiac Cody Lehner. “You think ‘what could I have done different?’ At the end of the day, it’s over and we played hard against a good team.”
In total, Bonnyville racked up 39 minutes worth of penalties, something Swan described as “distracting” for both teams.
“I would have liked there to have been a little less penalties on both sides. I’m sure their coach was as frustrated as us that there was so many penalties that were detracting from our momentum,” he detailed.
Lehner has his sights set on the next match-up against the Bandits.
He said, “We’re lucky we’ve got another chance against those guys because they’re going to feel it.”
The Pontiacs’ next home game is tonight (Tuesday) against the Grande Prairie Storm. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m.
