With two thirds of the season complete, the Bonnyville Pontiacs sit third place in the division, something the coaches and players are happy about, but not willing to be satisfied by.
Just prior to the holiday break, head coach and GM of the Pontiacs, Chad Mercier, sat down with the Nouvelle to discuss the season so far. He talked about some of the team's strengths, some of the challenges faced and still to come, as well as where the team wants to be when the season is all said and done.
At the beginning of the season, Mercier said his team set a goal of finishing top three in the division and getting past the second round of the playoffs. With a strong record (25-8-7) and only four points behind second place with two games in hand, the Pontiacs are poised to accomplish one of their goals, and the coaches are feeling confident they can accomplish all of them as the season goes on.
Mercier said, “We feel good about where we are, but we all understand that our best hockey has to be ahead of us to accomplish these goals.”
He said the wins are nice but “they are still just stepping stones along the way to accomplishing our ultimate goal. The bottom line is that you have to get past the second round to win a championship…we want to get there.”
But he acknowledged, the road to a championship is tough.
“The league is tight, it's close. There is a fine line, just look at the parity between the teams,” said Mercier. “On any given night any team can win…We can't take anything for granted.”
There have been nights he said his team has outplayed the opponent but came out with the loss, and other times they have been outplayed by their opponent and still picked up the win. Mercier said he makes it very clear whether his team's play was acceptable or not, regardless of the outcome.
“We've played a lot of real good hockey, but there is still that consistency level there that we haven't reached. Our biggest thing is getting everyone going at the same time…that is when we will really start to reach our true potential,” said Mercier.
He said that much of the responsibility in getting that consistently high level of play falls on the coaches.
“Preparation is key, we don't let much slide,” he said. “We try to find a balance between pushing the players and giving a little bit of space.”
“We've been instituting a culture of ‘when it's time to go to work, we work',” said Mercier.
He explained, “There is a time and place for everything. We make sure we work our hardest everyday and if we don't work we address it and don't allow for it to become alright.”
The high expectations, the structure and discipline required to play on the Pontiacs is what will make it a championship-calibre team said Mercier, which is why they bring in the players they do.
We try to bring in “guys that for them hockey is number one,” he said.
“They have become a close group of guys and a tight team, with a lot of pride in themselves and the community. They want to be part of a winner here. That drives them,” Mercier said, explaining the type of team he has built.
In regards to the players' strengths, Mercier said his players show character and work ethic more than anything else.
“There is a lot of pride, character and will in our dressing room,” said Mercier about his players and their ability to step up this season, especially in the face of challenges.
“We lost (Michael) Westfall and (Donnie) Harris for two to three weeks…and have also been without one of our most impactful scorers (Dante Borrelli) for an extended period of time. But we're able to weather the storm and find ways to win hockey games.”
Mercier explained that this ability shows the true character of his team and their desire to win and struggle through challenges, rather than back away from them.
“Our best players have to be our best players at this time of year. They know that and they want to be that…Now it's a matter of putting them in the right position and environment to do that.”
The Pontiacs will come out of the holiday break and get right back to work, as they have a home and home series with the top team in the league, the Spruce Grove Saints.
The Pontiacs sit eight points back of the Saints for first place in the league.
The first game of the series goes at the R.J. Lalonde Arena Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. The second game is in Spruce Grove the very next night, with puck drop also at 7 p.m.