Bonnyville Sr. Pontiacs

The Bonnyville Senior Pontiacs are a men's senior AA hockey team based out of Bonnyville, Alberta. The team is presently a member of the North Central Hockey League (Alberta), which they joined in 2015, after having played for one season and winning the last championship in the now defunct Battle River Hockey League. The team has been based out of the R. J. Lalonde Arena since it opened in 1982. In 2018, Bonnyville was crowned Alberta AA Provincial Champions. The Pontiacs celebrated their 70 year anniversary in 2023. 
==History==
The Bonnyville Pontiacs organization was founded in 1952 as the host organization for the Bonnyville Senior Hockey Club. The club had previously been known as the Bonnyville Bruins, but in return for a new set of jerseys purchased by the local Pontiac car dealership, the team was renamed the Pontiacs. The team played its' first game on December 16, 1952.
In 1959 the Senior Pontiacs won their first of four consecutive Craig Cups, emblematic of the North Eastern Alberta Hockey League Championship. Back then Senior Hockey was the“big time” for most hockey players, and the N.E.A.H.L. was considered one of the top leagues in the province. Bonnyville imported and paid players as did most Senior teams. The Pontiacs consistently drew 1500-2500 people per game in the old Bonnyville Arena which had a capacity of 1200! The Senior Pontiacs went on to become one of the most successful senior hockey teams in Alberta, racking up many Provincial championships at the Senior ‘B' and later, Senior ‘A' level as well as dominating the several leagues they played in over the years. The crowning glory came in the 1980-81 season when the Pontiacs met Winnipeg in the Hardy Cup Western final, after having defeated Victoria in the Alberta/B.C. playoffs. The Pontiacs lost the series in Winnipeg, but could always be proud of the fact that this small town team from rural Alberta had reached such heights. The Senior Pontiacs put Bonnyville “on the map” in hockey circles and were largely responsible for this community's long love affair with the game of hockey!
The team lent its name to the new Alberta Junior Hockey League team when they were established in 1991. Just before the team began its 50th anniversary celebrations the Bonnyville Minor Hockey Association announced they would be renaming the teams the Ponitiacs to preserve the legacy of the name.
http://www.bonnyvillepontiacs.ca/tradition/team-history.html
==Season-by-season record==
*Battle River Hockey League: ?-2015
*North Central Hockey League (Alberta): 2015-Present
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T/OL = Ties/Overtime losses, SL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Season 	League	GP 	W 	L 	T/OL 	SL 	Pts 	GF 	GA 	Finish 	Playoffs
2014-15	BRHL 	16 	13 	3 	0 	- 	26 	52 	26 	1st 	Won Championship
2015-16	NCHL 	16 	15 	1 	0 	- 	30 	121 	35 	1st North 	Lost Final
2016-17	NCHL 	18 	14 	3 	1 	- 	29 	113 	56 	3rd 	Lost Final
2017-18	NCHL 	12 	7 	3 	2 	- 	16 	60 	44 	4th 	Lost Semifinals
2018-19	NCHL 	16 	3 	13 	0 	- 	6 	55 	114 	9th 	Did not qualify
2019-20	NCHL 	16 	4 	11 	1 	- 	9 	68 	111 	8th 	Lost Quarterfinals
2020-21	NCHL 	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021-22	NCHL 	14 	2 	12 	0 	- 	4 	54 	93 	8th 	Lost Quarterfinals
2022-23	NCHL 	14 	5 	9 	0 	- 	10 	50 	93 	7th 	Did Not Qualify
2023-24	NCHL 	16 	8 	7 	1 	- 	17 	86 	93 	3rd North 	Lost Division Finals
2024-25	NCHL 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
===Provincial Championships===
*2018 (host team) Finish 2-0-0 in round robin pool defeating Wainwright Rustlers 5-2 and Nanton Palominos 4-1. defeated Elk Point Elks 6-2 in championship game 2018 Alberta Senior AA playoffs champion
==References==
Category:Established in 1952
Category:Battle River Hockey League teams
Category:North Central Hockey League (Alberta) teams
Category:Eastern Alberta Hockey League teams
Category:Nor-Lake Hockey League teams
Category:Alberta Major Intermediate League teams