Bisons ready for postseason

Times Editor

 

The UFA Bisons road to the Telus Cup begins with a first-round playoff matchup against the Calgary Northstars.

After their pursuit for a first-round bye was unsuccessful, the third-place Bisons will tangle with the sixth-seeded Northstars in a best-of-three series, beginning Feb. 20 (4 p.m.), at the Strathmore Family Centre. Game 2 is slated for Feb. 21 in Calgary, while Game 3, if necessary, is Feb. 22 (6:30 p.m.) also at the Strathmore Family Centre.

Despite claiming the last playoff spot in the division, the Calgary-based club was just four points behind the Bisons at the end of the regular season, which concluded this past Sunday.

“They play a gritty game and they compete hard,” said Bisons head coach Parry Shockey. “They’ve got pretty good balance throughout their hockey club. On paper, most people would say (the) numbers stack up in our favour – but it’s about responsibility, it’s about maturity. Hopefully our maturity is a lot bigger than their maturity.

“We have shown a lot of maturity in the last few weeks, but they need to show a ton more in order to be successful in the playoffs.”

The Bisons claimed three out of a possible four points versus the Northstars this season, winning 7-3 on Oct. 6, before settling for a 3-3 draw Oct. 10.

According to Shockey, the Bisons need to be ready from the drop of the puck.

“I think the players have to realize the sense of urgency every time they’re on the ice, your season’s on the line,” said the coach. “If you make one mistake in one game … that one game might be the difference if you advance or not.

“I’m hoping that our guys have that sense of urgency and accountability in Game 1, Game 2 and Game 3 … and then start over again (in the next series).”

The Bisons capped off the regular season on Feb. 13 with a 2-1 loss versus Lethbridge. Despite playing well for most of the game, the Bisons couldn’t muster enough offence versus the Hurricances.

“I didn’t think that we played a bad game, but we were a step off,” said Shockey. “I thought Lethbridge played really well. If they played like that all year, they wouldn’t have the record they have today. We had some great opportunities, we didn’t bury our chances and that could have been the difference.”