BONNYVILLE – Heading into their holiday break, the Pontiacs took a 6-3 win over the top team in the north league, the Fort McMurray Oil Barons, last week.
Playing in the RJ Lalonde Arena on Thursday night, the Pontiacs showed up hungry for a win, and ultimately earned it.
The first period of the night saw the most scoring action, with three goals earned by each team.
Scoring the Pontiacs’ first point was Charlie Russell with the help of Matteo Giampa and Alex Power. This was followed by a power play goal from Austin Saint, who was assisted by Trey Funk and A.J. Macaulay.
Only taking the lead for a short time, Funk was able to get the third goal of the period with the help of Sebastian Tamburro and Kash Rasmussen. The point was soon matched by the Oil Barons, tying the game until the third period.
Part way through the third period, the Pontiacs got what they were looking for, a point to give them the lead. The goal was earned by Giampa, assisted by JR Ashmead and Michael Fairfax.
In the last two minutes of the game and still holding the lead 4-3, the Oil Barons pulled their goalie giving the local Bonnyville duo, Saint with an assist from Macaulay, a chance to find the empty net.
Less than a minute later, the opportunity presented itself again when Macaulay scored the sixth and final goal of the night on the Oil Barons’ open net.
After the Pontiacs lost 4-2 against the Oil Barons on Dec. 12, Power said having the home ice advantage can make all the difference.
“It's huge, I think they definitely have a very supportive fanbase there. It's a very hard rink to play in so in order to get them home, I mean, it's definitely such a huge advantage. It's almost hard to explain,” said the Pontiacs’ rookie.
"Not having to play out there when you’re driving all day and then you are going in with a tough crowd... We are a great team on home ice and it was great to get the win when we could."
Speaking to the difference between the two matches against the top northern AJHL team was preparation.
“I thought we came out a lot stronger. I think last week, we just let them take it to us, but it was the opposite this time,” said Power. "It's a big win against one of our rivals. Especially because they’re top of the north, so we want to try to get as many (pucks) southside as we can, and I thought we did a great job.”
Reflecting on the Thursday’s game, Power said, “At the end, we kind of got under their skin a bit. So, I think that helps and obviously when we can get a great team off their game like that - anything you can do is obviously big.”
For Power, the highlight of the game was when he assisted the first goal of the night. “I thought our first goal that I was involved in was pretty nice and I mean all the boys were flying out there. So, it's great fun to watch – it was definitely a fun game to play in.”
The Pontiacs' next home game will take place on Dec. 30, against the Lloydminster Bobcats. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
