Staying healthy hasn't been easy for the Bonnyville Pontiacs this season.
Since the very beginning of the season, the Pontiacs have had at least one of their key players sidelined due to injury at all times. First, it was Isaac Saniga that was forced to miss time early-on with a lower body injury.
A hand injury put Derek Brown's great start to the season on hold, leaving the team without his goal scoring presence for two weeks. Most recently, the team lost captain Charlie Gawlicki after he left the Pontiacs matchup with the Whitecourt Wolverines due to an upper body injury.
“Gawlicki is our only major injury right now, but we've got a lot of bumps and bruises. It's the dog days of winter, it's dark when you come in to the rink and it's dark when you leave,” said Pontiacs head coach Rick Swan.
With the return of Saniga to the lineup, the team is as close as they've come to 100 per cent.
However, injuries have already taken their toll, forcing younger players to fill in the gaps. The constant absence of their veteran players hasn't made life easy for Swan and his coaching staff.
“With a young lineup it's not an optimal situation to not have those key guys going, but we always look at it as an opportunity for young guys to get different types of minutes than they would get if we had a healthy lineup,” detailed Swan.
Adding on to the stress of dealing with injuries, players are unsure of where they might be with the Dec. 1 roster freeze fast approaching. Coaches know this can take a toll on the players, and do all they can to keep them enjoying going to the rink everyday.
“We're through that first transition to that Dec. 1 deadline, and guys are coming and going and nobody really knows what our roster is going to look like. As coaches we have to keep it fun and enthusiastic,” Swan said.
Injuries have ultimately played a part in the Pontiacs 10-9-4 record that has them sitting in fifth place in the Viterra AJHL North division standings.
While Swan admits their position isn't ideal, he explained the experience they gained in the first half of the season will benefit them down the stretch. With his team in the hunt, Swan expects their best hockey to be in front of them.
“The way we look at it, we'll be better for it in the long run. We know we want to be playing our best hockey in March. We're concerned about the record, but we know that where we're going is going to help us as a team. We think we'll be fantastic when we need to be.”
