BONNYVILLE - In an Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) showdown, the Bonnyville Pontiacs defeated the Fort McMurray Oil Barons 5-3 in neck-in-neck game that saw Pontiacs’ captain Nicolas Beaudoin take a game misconduct, but also score a crucial hat trick.
The Jan. 4 game was physical with lots of bodychecks and intense puck battles.
“It’s frustrating. It’s definitely a lesson learned from me, but ultimately it gave me the fire to score the tying goal,” Beaudoin said, when asked about the game misconduct.
The Pontiacs quickly found themselves down 2-0 after the first period, even though they were outshooting the Oil Barons 19-8. Pontiacs' goalie Nathan St. Germain was pulled and was replaced by goalie Bodee Weiss.
“It’s nothing new, we’ve faced adversity throughout the first half,” said Beaudoin. So, he told his teammates to reset, refocus, and go back to “playing the way we know how to play.”
“You have to realize your mistakes and after that, you have to move on,” said head coach Mario Pouliot.
Pouliot admits the second game of a back-to-back schedule is always tough, but he was proud of his team’s perseverance scoring three unanswered goals after being down 2-0.
On Wednesday, the Pontiacs played the Spruce Grove Saints in Spruce Grove, grabbing a 4-1 win to start 2024.
On Thursday, the Pontiacs came out on fire in second period, starting with Beaudoin banging home a rebound from defenseman Jordan Schanbacher’s point shot. Within two minutes, Beaudoin scored again, this time short-handed, with an assist from forward Max Seguin.
Beaudoin scored the tying goal on the power play in the third period for the hat-trick that saw several hats thrown onto the ice. Centre Luka Sukovic scored the game-winner and potted in the empty netter for the Pontiacs.
Up next, the Pontiacs play the Blackfalds Bulldogs at the Eagle Builders Centre at 7 p.m. on Jan. 9.
