One more weekend remains and then the real season will begin for Ponoka Minor Hockey clubs.
Last weekend saw a few local teams on the ice at the Ponoka Culture and Recreation Complex in pre-season action with a couple coming away with wins under their helmets.
The Credit Union Bantams took on Maskwacis #2 on Oct. 14 and came out with a well-played 4-2 victory. Gavin Allen-Prefontaine scored a pair of goals to go along with singles from Wyatt Wiancko and Zachary Rausch in a contest that was more about skating and puck control than trying to knock over the other team.
On Oct. 16, only Ponoka’s Ethan Little was able to score with assists from Wiancko and Mark Carlson in a 4-1 loss to Devon #2.
The other team at home was the Fountain Tire Midget Wolves, who managed to salvage a 3-3 tie from the jaws of defeat on Oct. 15 against the squad from Hardisty/Hughenden.
The visitors would score first on a powerplay nearly 12 minutes into the first, followed by their second less than two minutes later. Ponoka found the net with a powerplay goal of their own just past the 15 minute mark of the opening frame with Noah Spelrem putting the puck home. The Wolves tied it up with a minute and 35 seconds left as Jayden Hagemann wired a shot past the netminder.
There was no scoring in what was a bit of a lacklustre second period, but the teams made up for it in the third with several big, clean hits being delivered on each side.
Five minutes into the final period, the visitors would get a gift, as a shot from the corner wound up in the Ponoka net to put them behind 3-2. It would take another powerplay goal, this time off the stick of Sam Neath, with just over four minutes remaining for Ponoka to tie it up.
The Wolves were also in Viking on Oct. 16, where they posted a 12-2 win. Hagemann, Tristan Johnson, Lewis McDowell and Quinton Adam each scored twice with the other goals coming from Neath, Spelrem, Cooper Rice and Liam Buffalo.
The only other team in action on the weekend were the PeeWee Elks, who took on Daysland Oct. 16 and put up an 11-2 win. Ponoka got one shorthanded and a powerplay goal in the victory, both from Austin Griffiths, to go along with Luke Simanton’s hat trick. The rest came from Jake Palechek and Treyton Johnson, each notching a pair, and singles from Wyatt Avery and Josh David.
Big hits: The pre-season for Ponoka clubs will finish up this coming weekend with only the three clubs on home ice. The Bantam Moose home to Viking Oct. 21 at 8:30 p.m., while the PeeWee Elks host Battle River that same night at 6:15 p.m. and the McDonalds Atoms are home Oct. 22 at 12:15 p.m. to Battle River.