Bisons pick up the pace

Times Editor

 

Players vying for a spot on the UFA Bisons roster had their first opportunity to square off against potential future opponents this past weekend, as the local triple-A midget team held their annual exhibition tournament.

The Bisons hosted the Calgary Buffaloes, the Calgary Northstars and the Red Deer Rebels in a preseason tournament Sept. 15-18 at the Strathmore Family Centre.

“It went really well, we started a little slow, but the guys got used to the pace,” said head coach Jeremy Friesen. “We made adjustments throughout the weekend – it was good to see the kids adjust and to be able to handle those things and execute them.

“The biggest thing for us was to identify and give kids opportunities to challenge them and see what they can do. We weren’t too worried about the scoreboard … it was just about going through the process, making sure everyone had an opportunity to show us what they can do.”

“We saw a lot of really good things.”

According to Friesen, most of the teams at the tournament brought 30-33 players to evaluate before trimming their roster. The Bisons made their cuts immediately after the tourney, trimming their roster to 22 players. Each team must be down to 20 players before the start of the regular season.

The Bisons lost 4-3 to Red Deer to open the tournament before a 4-2 win over the Northstars. The team was relegated to third in the round robin after losing to the Buffaloes 5-2. 

In the semifinal against Red Deer, the locals won a thrilling double overtime game 5-4, before losing 3-1 in the final game to the Northstars.

“If you look at the scores, with the exception of two of our games, every game was decided by one goal,” said Friesen. “It goes to show the competition within the league and how tight the league actually is. It was a good teaching point for the kids too because it goes to show that if you make one or two mistakes in a game, they end up in the back of your net. Whether they be in the preseason or the regular season – that’s the difference (between wins and losses).

“Attention to detail is critical.”

Friesen was particularly impressed with his team when they used their speed and got into the offensive zone.

“When we play five on five and get the puck deep and establish a forecheck – we’re a pretty scary team,” said Friesen. “We need to create some more opportunities as far as driving the net and crashing (the crease). We’ve got a lot of speed and size up front – guys that will crash and bang, and we’ve got a very, very mobile defence that can put a lot of pressure on the opposition and make it hard for them to breakout.

“We’re going to be a quick transitioning team and I think that is one of our strongest asset(s).”

The Bisons play their final exhibition game on Sept. 25 in Red Deer, before they open the regular season Oct. 2 (2 p.m.) at the Strathmore Family Centre when they host Lethbridge.