The Shawville Pontiacs may have lost their fifth straight game on Saturday, but it did not change their gameplan going into the upcoming Northern Premier Hockey League (NPHL) playoffs.
The Pontiacs are mathematically guaranteed to finish in third place in the Pioneer division, and will face the second-place Madawaska Valley Wolves in the first round of the playoffs.
The Wolves also happened to be the Pontiacs’ opponents in Saturday’s away game in what was a preview of the playoff action to come.
Pontiacs head coach Darcy Findlay said it was yet another case of the “Barry’s Bay flu” that plagued his team as they prepared to make the long trek. In the end Findlay only managed to field a roster of 10 forwards and four defencemen, and had to call up an emergency goaltender as backup.
The result was yet another slow start for the Pontiacs, who surrendered six consecutive goals to start the game to whoops and cheers from the Barry’s Bay fans. Shawville didn’t manage their first tally until late in the second period, when Jean-Robin Mantha scored an unassisted goal.
But the home team continued the onslaught, with three more goals to reach 9-1 with only a few minutes remaining in the game. Garbage time minutes saw Pontiacs players Quinn O’Brien and Jacob Roy-Lauzon net one goal each, but it was not enough to bring their team back into the game.
“Is it Valentine’s Day weekend yet?” said Findlay of the weekend the playoffs begin. “The score was getting out of hand and we just couldn’t compete [ . . . ] we were short-bodied.”
In the game’s third period, a Wolves player took down Pontiacs star defenceman Jean-Robin Mantha, leaving him on the ice.
Findlay said he has launched a challenge with the league, adding that Mantha, a key member of his team, is now injured at least for the next few games.
“The puck is nowhere near them [ . . . ] and he comes up from behind him, rips him down from the back of the neck, and then just body slams him,” he said. “It was far from a hockey play, and it probably cost him his season.”
The Pontiacs will play their final regular-season game this Friday, Feb. 6, at home against the Akwesasne Wild. Regardless of the result, Findlay said his team’s playoff position is safe, making the final game a low-stakes contest.
But he said he still wants to see his team build some momentum going into the playoffs against a Madawaska Valley team that has now won five of their last six contests.
“Even though it’s a game that doesn’t matter, it’s extremely important just to get on the right track [ . . . ] let’s dial it in and crank it up,” said Findlay.
The Pontiacs were supposed to make up a regular-season game against the North Grenville Rangers, but Findlay said the game doesn’t matter for the standings so the team chose not to play it. Besides, with a thin roster as is, he did not want to take any more chances before the playoff round.
“I have no interest in risking any more injuries before playoffs,” Findlay said.
While the date for Shawville’s playoff opener is not set in stone, Findlay expects his team to travel to Barry’s Bay for game one on Feb. 14 and return to Shawville for game two the next day, Feb. 15.
