The Shawville Pontiacs got one final tune-up before the playoffs on Friday night in front of home fans, cranking out an 11-3 win over the Akwesasne Wild.
Before the game, coach Darcy Findlay’s team sat in third place in the Northern Premier Hockey League’s (NPHL) Pioneer division and was already destined to face the Madawaska Valley Wolves in the first round of the playoffs.
But after losing seven of their last eight games, Findlay urged his players to “crank it up and dial it in” in his team’s final regular-season game.
The Wild were fighting for a playoff spot themselves. Sitting in third place in their respective division, the Wild needed a win or a South Grenville Rangers loss in order to avoid facing the first-place North Dundas Rockets in the first round.
But the Wild were no match for the Pontiacs’ attack. The Pontiacs got out to a 3-2 lead thanks to goals from Joey Brennan, Marc-Olivier Racine-Roy as well as Quinn O’Brien, who recently returned to the team after a month-long break.
In the second period the home team shut the door on any kind of Wild comeback. The Pontiacs scored five unanswered goals in the second period, then three in the third period, while only giving up one goal the rest of the game.
Findlay said it was a “good vibe game” for his players, many of whom have spent some amount of time on injured reserve for the past many weeks since the Christmas break. He said having a number of players back in action, including O’Brien and defenceman David Foucher, will help strengthen the defence.
“[Foucher] is a solid defenceman [ . . . ] Having [Quinn O’Brien’s] big body, veteran leadership and presence goes a long way,” Findlay said.
Findlay said the return of forward Alexandre Landreville, who has four goals and eight assists this season, in tandem with Joey Brennan (13 goals and 15 assists), will be a huge infusion to the team’s offence.
“That combo really drives the bus for us offensively,” he said.
Findlay said he expects the Madawaska Valley Wolves to throw their best roster at them when they travel to Barry’s Bay for Game 1 on Saturday night. With 10 wins and zero losses on their home ice, he expects the Wolves to be up to the task.
In particular, Findlay said they will be watching Jared Steege, who has scored 29 goals this season, and former Ottawa Senators draft pick Kelly Summers (nine goals and 23 assists).
Findlay said his team just needs to go out there and play the way they’re capable, instead of getting caught up in penalties and getting out to slow starts.
“They’ve just got to stay out of their shit and just get it done,” he said.
O’Brien was named first star of Friday night’s game after tallying two goals and two assists, while forward Xavier Martine was awarded second star after notching one goal and three assists.
The Wild also secured third place in their respective division, and will face the South Stormont Mustangs in the first round of the playoffs.
Shawville’s three-game playoff series against the Madawaska Valley Wolves will kick off on Saturday, Feb. 14 in Barry’s Bay, then the teams will return to Shawville the next night at 7:30 for Game 2. If needed, the final game will be played Monday night in Barry’s Bay.
