Bisons on a roll
Mario Prusina
Times Editor
The UFA Bisons are heading into the 34th Annual Mac’s Midget Hockey tournament on a roll, defeating the top team in the league and collecting five out of a possible six points this past weekend.
The local triple-A midget team defeated the No. 1 ranked Red Deer Rebels 5-4 on Dec. 16, before posting a 6-4 win over the Gregg Distributors the following day and a 1-1 draw against the K of C Pats on Dec. 18.
“Another point got away, but collecting five of six in a three-game weekend is very promising for us going into the Mac’s,” said Bisons head coach Jeremy Friesen. “There is no question (fatigue played a part in the final game), especially when we had the emotional game on Friday night and going on the road for two games – that is a tough thing to overcome. At the end of the day, we came out with the points and I’m really proud of the way we played.”
Despite an ineffective power play, which has at times hurt this team throughout the season, the Bisons penalty kill was phenomenal this weekend. Friesen added that his team’s five-on-five play was outstanding this past weekend.
“I thought we stayed poised – we didn’t get too down all the time,” explained the coach. “Three or four weeks ago, this team would have curled under that pressure and wouldn’t be able to challenge itself.
“We stuck to the game plan – our penalty kill was fantastic all weekend, but our power play was a little disappointing.
“Five-on-five, when we establish our forecheck and dictate the way the game is going to go, we’re a pretty effective team.”
The Bisons, who entered the weekend with a fourth place ranking in the South Division, opened the trio of games with a home win over the top-ranked Rebels.
After a couple of disappointing losses to the Calgary Buffaloes and the Leduc Oil Kings earlier this year, the Bisons proved that they can compete with any team in the league when they stick to their system.
“This was a big one – we’ve been looking at the schedule at this game for a while,” beamed Friesen after the win over the Rebels. “It is becoming quite the rivalry. They’re a great hockey team – they’ve got depth, they play a great game and they can finish.
“It was a good test to see where we stand up and see some areas where they exposed us (so we can) tighten up.
“All in all, I was very satisfied with our effort – there were a lot of positives for sure.”
Following the contest, Friesen warned his crew not to have a letdown after playing such an emotional game. The Bisons took the advice to heart, posting the win and tie over a pair of North Division opponents.
After the weekend was said and done, the Bisons improved to 12-5-6 on the season and are in the mix for the division lead with the Rebels, the Buffaloes and the NW Calgary Flames.
It sets up for an exciting stretch drive in the Alberta Midget Hockey League.
“We’re right where we want to be,” said Friesen. “We’ve given ourselves an opportunity to finish anywhere from first to fifth really. I think we’re really starting to figure out who we are (as a team) and playing our game on a consistent basis.
“We need to make sure we keep building on what we’ve done so far and getting better and better going down the stretch run.
“It’s going to be a very exciting time for us.”