The Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs are number one in the north division.
Their two wins last week have put them on top of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) north division standings, something the coaching staff has been working toward for years.
“For the past seven years that I’ve been here, it hasn’t been a very common thing,” explained head coach Rick Swan. “For our franchise, it hasn’t been a common thing for us to be battling as one of the top teams in the AJHL. All it means is that we like where we are, but there’s still a long ways to go and a lot of work to remain on top.”
Rematch on home ice
The Pontiacs hit the ice determined in a rematch against the Spruce Grove Saints at home on Wednesday, Oct. 10.
The team’s hard work paid off, with a 2-1 win.
The last time the two faced off, the Saints broke Bonnyville’s winning streak.
The uphill battle started early for the home team. The Saints managed to find the back of the net in the first.
But Bonnyville forward Marc-Antoine Benoit tied it up with a power play goal mid-period.
“We started off slow in the first period, and gradually got better,” recalled Bobby Young. “We didn’t have too many shots tonight, but we battled hard and played pretty well defensively.”
The last goal of the game went to Pontiac Daine Dubois in the second, which won the game for the home team.
Ty Enns out skates the Spruce Grove Saints defensive line.
With only 15 shots on goal throughout the game, Young said it was the important shots that found the back of the net.
“We want to call ourselves a shot volume team, and sometimes we don’t get a lot of shots. Sometimes it’s the quality ones that go in,” he noted.
Pontiac goaltender Colby Muise shined brightly for the team, preventing over 30 shots from going in.
“We were lucky that Colby was in the net tonight, because he played real well,” Benoit expressed.
Scratching their way to a win
The Pontiacs faced off against the Lloydminster Bobcats in their first of six away games on Friday, Oct. 12, defeating the Bobcats 5-4.
“It’s a tough place to play, and they played us hard. We have to expect that when you’re the number one team in the AJHL north division, every team’s going to come at you as hard as they can,” Swan noted.
The first period was quiet for the Pontiacs, with the first goal of the game going to the Bobcats.
Pontiac Luke Albert put them on the scoreboard within the first 10 minutes of the second frame.
Lloydminster quickly answered with two goals of their own.
Sean Thomson scored Bonnyville’s second goal during a power play, while Noah Lugli finished the period off finding the back of the net.
The third started off strong for the local boys. Isaac Saniga put the Pontiacs in the lead, scoring within the first 20 seconds of the period.
The Bobcats tied it up during a power play.
Hunter Floris speeds across the ice with his eye on the goal.
With less than a minute left on the clock, Saniga fired in the game-winning goal.
This win put the local team into the number one position in the AJHL north division.
“We scored the winning goal with 27 seconds left... That showed a lot of character in our response,” Swan detailed.
The Pontiacs are now in the midst of a weeklong road trip
They faced the Olds Grizzlys on Monday night, followed by a game tonight against the Calgary Canucks. They’ll also take on the Calgary Mustangs, Okotoks Oilers, and Canmore Eagles before returning home.
“It’s the first five day road trip in AJHL history. We’re going to see how our guys fair, and we’re hoping to play five games the Pontiac way,” Swan expressed.
The Pontiac’s next home game isn’t until Oct. 24 against the Grande Prairie Storm, puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.
