Bisons rebound after home opener

Times Editor  

 

After a disastrous home opener against the lowly Fort Saskatchewan Rangers, the UFA Bisons responded with their most complete hockey game of the season.

The local triple-A midget team hammered the United Cycle Maple Leafs 7-2 on Oct. 21 at the Strathmore Family Centre, avenging the 5-3 embarrassment to the Rangers the night before.

“That’s obviously more of the team we want to see,” said Bisons head coach Jeremy Friesen after the win. “We challenged the guys to take care of stuff defensively and get on the right side of the puck, win your one-on-one battles, compete and bear down on the execution. 

“Today was a much better performance all-round. They were no passengers – we had 19 guys that were going all game long. You could just feel it on the bench in terms of momentum and chatter. The guys were having fun and they were enjoying it.

“Hopefully this is a turning point for us. We’ve taken enough steps backwards so far this year, hopefully this is kind of the righting of the ship and we can build off of this and start improving in other area (of our game).”

Friesen was particularly proud of the two goals against, which was the lowest amount the team has allowed all season.

After some shaky goaltending in the first half-dozen games, the Bisons received the netminding they expect game in, game out.

“That feels pretty nice – I thought James (Fisk) responded really well today,” said Friesen. “He made the saves we needed and his rebound control was very good early on and you could feel that on the bench and the guys were more relaxed.

“It’s one game, so we we’re not going to get too excited or too ahead of ourselves, but I think we got a taste of what we are capable of when we all buy in.”

After starting the season with a six-game road trip, the Bisons finally got a taste of home ice against the Rangers. Despite controlling the play and outshooting their opposition, the result was one the Bisons would like to forget.

“We’ve talked about it so often, I’m not going to beat a dead horse – everyone who was at the rink knows exactly what happened,” described Friesen of the forgettable home opener. “It’s very disappointing for the guys, for us, for everybody. Again, when you outshoot a team as bad as you do, you expect to win. Having said that, our execution and our discipline wasn’t very good. It goes to show that when you do get the performance in the pipes you’re looking for, (you’ll be successful).”

Despite their 3-5-0 record, the Bisons are scoring goals with the best of them. The team has tallied 36 goals in eight games – something that will benefit them when they finally solve their defensive woes. 

According to hardworking forward Connor Tudor, the Bisons are trending in the right direction.

“We have a lot of heart on the team, a lot of character,” said Tudor. “It’s good group of guys (in the room). We got four strong lines and we have defence that can put the puck in the net too. We’re more concerned about sticking tight in our own end because we know the goals will come.”

The Bisons will now have a major task on their hands when they hit the road against the league-leading Red Deer Chiefs, who boast an impressive 6-0-1 mark, and the upstart Lethbridge Pronghorns. The Bisons will tangle with the Chiefs Oct. 26 (8 p.m.) before taking on Lethbridge Oct. 28 (2:30 p.m.).

The club will return home Nov. 3 (5:30 p.m.) when they face the Southeast Tigers, before hosting the Calgary Royals the following day (2 p.m.) at the Strathmore Family Centre.