Bisons streak snapped

Times Editor   

 

A spell of bad hockey late in the second period snapped the UFA Bisons six-game winning streak when they hosted the top team in the AMHL on Nov. 23.

After scoring the first two goals of the game, the local triple-A midget team allowed four goals in a span of 5:16 to the Red Deer Chiefs, en route to a 7-2 shellacking at the Strathmore Family Centre.

Despite what the scoresheet read, UFA Bisons head coach Jeremy Friesen wasn’t convinced that the second period meltdown was the reason the team lost.

“No, I think it’s fair to say we played good hockey for about 5:16 (instead),” said Friesen when asked if the Bisons lost the game because of the specifically-timed meltdown. “We haven’t been down in a while and we know how we used to respond when we were down, (but) we got under a little bit of pressure and we reverted back to a bunch of old habits. We didn’t establish our forecheck, we didn’t establish any sustained pressure, we started getting beat for loose pucks, we started getting worried about being physical instead of puck management … it’s very disappointing. Not in the fact we lost, just the way we played and the way we handled it.”  

More disappointing for the team was the fact the Chiefs already laid a lickin’ on the herd earlier in the season, when the Bisons lost 7-1 on Oct. 26 in Red Deer.

The Chiefs, who improved to 10-2-3 on the season, are clearly the best team in the league right now and Friesen knows exactly why.

“It comes down to this, they don’t take shortcuts and they don’t cheat – ever,” evaluated the coach. “They always have a high guy, they always have the rotation down, they don’t break down in the defensive zone. Their penalty kill was fantastic and they have 20 guys that go out there and work their butts off and get the job done. For the last three weeks, we had the exact same thing.”

Despite losing both games and being outscored 14-3, Friesen is confident that when his team plays the way they are capable of, they can compete with and beat any team in the league, including the Cheifs. He said it’s just a matter of getting over the hurdle of the Chiefs being the defending national champions and the top team in the league.

The Bisons will look to get back on track this coming weekend when they travel up the QE2 to face a pair of top teams in the North Division. Despite recently beating the Leduc Oil Kings and the St. Albert Raiders at home during the Showcase Weekend earlier this month, the Bisons know they will have their hands full with the two squads.

“I don’t think we have to change anything, we just have to get back to our game plan,” said Friesen. “The last time Red Deer laid a butt-kicking to us, it served as a wake-up call and I think this will do the same thing. 

“I’m curious to see how we respond.”

The Bisons will take on the Oil Kings on Dec. 1 (3:30 p.m.) and St. Albert the following day at 1:30 p.m.

The next home game is Dec. 8 (5:30 p.m.) when they host the CAC Gregg Distributors at the Strathmore Family Centre.