A former teammate came back to haunt the Grande Prairie Storm Friday night at the Canada Games Arena. Spencer Foo, who toiled for the Storm a couple seasons ago, had a goal and two assists to lead the Bonnyville Pontiacs to a 4-1 win in preseason play.
Storm looked strong three nights earlier in a 4-0 win over Whitecourt, but were lacklustre for most of their match-up with the Pontiacs. Aside for a few brief stretches, Bonnyville carried the majority of play throughout the evening, outshooting the home side 39-22.
Last year's AJHL top goaltender Nick Kulmanovsky watched this one from the stands, while Joakim Jutras and Nick Crisanti both looked to secure the back-up spot with the Storm. Jutras started and blocked 13 of 15 shots he face in the first 30 minutes. Crisanti came in for the second half and allowed two goals on 24 Pontiac shots.
Ian McClellan had the lone goal for the Storm, late in the second period, cutting into a 3-0 Bonnyville lead. Any hope for a comeback was dashed early in the third, though, when the Pontiacs Tommy Barsczc scored on a penalty shot to restore the three goal advantage.
Both teams now head to Peace River to play in a four-team preseason tournament on Saturday and Sunday. Storm meet the Drayton Valley Thunder Saturday at 5 pm at the Baytex Arena, while the Pontiacs will play the Whitecourt Wolverines at 8pm. The two losers then meet in the consolation final Sunday at Noon, with the winners meeting in the championship game at 3 pm.
–Story by Don Whiteford of www.PeaceCountrySports.com