Ponoka minor hockey featured games in temperatures below 30 degrees C over the past weekend and alongside the cold weather came the drought for wins.
Ponoka’s Atom A team managed a 7-2 win against the Bentley Atom Canucks Dec. 8 in Bentley. Three goals in the first period by Ponoka helped guarantee a solid lead for the young team. A fourth in the second didn’t hurt and while the Canucks scored one goal in the second as well this wasn’t enough to bridge the gap.
Three more in the third period for Ponoka and only one for the Canucks helped make this a resounding win.
The Atom B Tier 5 team did not have as much luck against Stettler Dec. 7 in Ponoka. They lost 7-2 to Stettler who scored five goals in the third period. At the end of the second period the score was 2-2 but a strong offence created trouble for the Ponoka team.
Ponoka’s Peewee B team had two games on the weekend; the first was Dec. 7 at Ponoka against the Castor Peewee Cyclones who took control of the game with a strong 10-4 win against Ponoka. While the game was tied 4-4 at the beginning of the third period something seemed to awaken within the Castor team who scored six goals, five of which were in the last nine minutes of the game.
Their second game was away against the Eckville Peewee Eagles. Ponoka lost 6-4 but scoring was more even for both teams. While both teams scored two goals each during power plays, Eckville took the advantage of a weakness in Ponoka’s defence with two goals in the third period.
Ponoka’s Midget 1 Wolves are holding on to second place in the south division with a record of 6-4-2. Their biggest challengers appear to be the Innisfail Kinsmen Flyers in the south with 10-2-0 and the Barrhead Steelers with 9-2-2 and the Edson Midget A team with 6-2-2 in the north division.
The Wolves played two games last weekend; Dec. 6 with a 7-7 tie against the Steelers and a 9-2 win against Whitecourt Midget A. The first game proved a challenge as the Steelers scored four games in the first with none for Ponoka. However the Wolves rallied and closed the gap to 6-4 at the end of the second. They continued their offensive attack with three goals in the third and one for the Steelers. The tying goal was made with 1:45 left in the game.
Their second game against Whitecourt was a different story; the Wolves took control of the game with six goals in the first period. Whitecourt on the other hand scored only one goal in the first. The Wolves continued a strong game with three more goals in the second period and Whitecourt again with one. There were no other goals in the game.
Ponoka’s Midget B team had a solid 7-4 win Dec. 7 against the Innisfail Fourlane Flyers. Three goals in the first, one in the second and three goals in the third period made a strong showing for Ponoka. The Flyers seemed unable to stop the B team whose relentless attack proved unstoppable. Ponoka is third in the standings with a record of 5-3-1.
Lacoka girls’ hockey results
The Lacoka girls Bantam Rockets had no trouble against the Sylvan Lake Bantam/Midget Female Lakers Dec. 8 with win of 9-0.
Players had no trouble evading the Sylvan Lake defense and secured their victory with seven goals by the start of the third period. At this point a win was all but guaranteed and Lacoka continued their attack to gain two more goals.