Anthony Campbell scored his first career AJHL goal, while Noah Nelson made 38 saves, however, the Fort McMurray Oil Barons fell 5-2 at the hands of the Bonnyville Pontiacs to wrap up a three game road trip. Turnovers doomed the Oil Barons, who saw Max Seguin, Luke Sukovic and Michael Ryan each put up multi-point efforts against them.
Bonnyville scored the lone two markers of the first period with both goals coming late in the frame. JR Ashmead intercepted a pass at the Oil Baron blue line sped behind the net, before wrapping the puck past Nelson. Another turnover at the Oil Baron blue line led to a second Pontiac goal, where a shot from Nathan Phillips from the right faceoff circle was deflected by Brent Hoshowski past the Fort McMurray netminder.
The MOB found hope early in the second period and managed to equalize the game at two apiece. First, a shot from Simon Diaz fooled Bodee Weiss, as it bounced short side on the Pontiac goaltender. The power-play marker was Diaz’s first of the season, making it a 2-1 game. Then Jason Huang almost scored a highlight reel goal, pulling the puck through the legs of a Bonnyville defenceman, only to be stopped by Weiss. However, Campbell followed up the play and cashed in the rebound tying the game at two. Unfortunately, the rest of the scoring went the way of the Pontiacs. First, Nicholas Beaudoin sniped home a power-play marker. Seguin found the reigning AJHL Rookie of the Year at the top of the slot, and the St Paul, Alberta product went bardown on Nelson. Bonnyville added a fourth goal before the end of the second. A point shot was stopped by Nelson, however, the rebound landed favorably for Seguin, who tapped home his first goal of the season. Sukovic added an empty netter with 12 seconds remaining in the game, and Bonnyville got the better of the northern rivals by a 5-2 count.
Fort McMurray returns to action Friday night for their home opener, as they welcome the Lloydminster Bobcats. Puck drop is at 7:30pm with the game being broadcast on Home Hardware’s Oil Barons Hockey on the MOB Radio Network. A Party At The Rink will also take place on Friday starting at 5pm. ProServe DKI will host a barbeque, while their will also be bouncy castles, face painting and music.
Get your tickets here: https://tickets.fortmcmurrayoilbarons.ca/events/26131-lloydminster-bobcats-vs-fort-mcmurray-oil-barons
