Bisons break the trend

Times Editor

 

For the first time this season, the UFA Bisons won both of their weekend games.

The local triple-A midget team defeated the Royals 6-4 in Calgary on Oct. 28, before eking out a 2-1 win over the United Cycle Maple Leafs on Oct. 30 at the Strathmore Family Centre.

“It feels good – that’s what we set out to do this last week in practice, we set that as our goal,” said Bisons head coach Jeremy Friesen. “We had some breakdowns and we didn’t really play the way that we wanted to, but at the end of the day, we got the four points and that’s the most important thing.”

Despite not playing their best hockey over the weekend, the team did enough good things to improve their record to 5-1-3 on the season.

The Bisons went into Stu Peppard Arena on Friday night and defeated a South Division opponent with a solid game. 

Aaron Macklin and Kevin O’Rourke each scored twice, while Chandler Irvin and Mitch McAllister each scored once for the Bisons. The team showed quite a balanced attack, as seven other players also posted a point in the contest.

“We came to play, for sure,” said McAllister of the win. “We had some instances where we definitely bended but didn’t break. We came out, worked hard and won the battles. It was an on-off type of game.”

Friesen agreed with his captain’s assessment of the game.

“ I thought we played really well. It’s a small rink, so it took the guys some time to adjust,” said the coach. “(However), I thought we dictated the game. We gave up a goal or two here and there, so it was a lot closer than it needed to be.

“That’s kind of the story on how we get by – it’s another lesson to help us down the (season).”

The Bisons returned to the Strathmore Family Centre on Sunday afternoon to play in their fifth home game of the season.

Despite not playing their best game, they managed to pull out a 2-1 win. 

Irvin notched a goal and an assist, while McAllister also scored for the Bisons, who killed all six Maple Leaf power plays.

Goaltender Grayson Sharpe made 21 saves in the win.

“We had the right mindset, it was all between the ears this weekend,” said McAllister. “We came in strong, worked as a team, gelled as a team. 

“We’ve been trying to improve on our 60 minute game from the start of the year. Building on the first period, building on the second period – building on every shift throughout the game.”

The Bisons are preparing to host a pair of North Division teams this weekend, when they tangle with the Boston Pizza Rangers on Nov. 5 (5:30 p.m.) before taking on the Lloydminster Bobcats the following day at 2 p.m. In a bit of a scheduling quirk, eight of their first 11 games are against North Division teams.

According to Friesen, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is – he would like to see a solid team effort for 60 minutes.

Despite not playing up to their potential thus far, the coach is pleased with the season.

“(Picking up points) is really positive for us,” said Friesen. “We’re taking a step in the right direction and that’s promising for sure.

“Now the key is to make sure we don’t focus too much on one area and pull back in other areas (of our game).”