Bisons split last road trip

Times Editor  

 

With less than two weeks to go until the post-season officially starts, the UFA Bisons are anticipating the grind of a long playoff run.

How far they go in the playoffs will be determined by their success away from the friendly confines of the Strathmore Family Centre.

After their final road trip of the regular season, a 4-1 loss to the Sherwood Park Ennis Kings on Feb. 2 and a 6-3 win over Fort Saskatchewan the following day, the Bisons concluded the regular season road schedule with a winning record.

The Bisons opened the weekend against a desperate Sherwood Park squad, looking to squeeze into a playoff spot in the North Division.

Despite scoring first, a tally by Conner McCallum midway through the second period, the Bisons allowed four unanswered goals en route to the loss.

“It was one of those games where we were off with everything in terms of our execution and attention to detail,” said Bisons head coach Jeremy Friesen. “It just goes to show that we weren’t properly prepared to play and the other team was. In the third period, they elevated their game and we couldn’t find that spark to match them.”

However, the following day, the Bisons played a physical, hard-nosed game versus the Rangers and were rewarded with a 6-3 win.

McCallum led the way for the Herd with two goals and an assist, while Connor Tudor chipped in with a pair. Mark Nerland added a goal and an assist, while Ryan Zeniuk also tallied for the Bisons.

“It was one of those games where we got down early and just stuck with the game plan,” said the coach.  “We made a couple of adjustments in the second period and really took over the game. It was probably one of our most physical games of the year. We didn’t back down from anything and eventually had a lot of energy. It was kind of our first game with a playoff mentality. We weren’t going to let anybody take liberties with us, we answered the bell and we did the things we needed to do to come out of there with two points.” 

After posting an 8-7-2 record on the road, the Bisons are optimistic heading into the post-season.

“You always like to start at home, but at the end of the day (the opening round) is a nice, close road-trip for us,” said Bisons head coach Jeremy Friesen. “Whether we play on the big ice or not, our game plan doesn’t change – we’ve had some success at home and we’ve had some success on the road. Eventually, you’re going to have to win on the road, so if you have to start there (it doesn’t matter). That first game in the best of three is absolutely critical.”  

The Bisons will close out their regular season with a pair of home games this weekend, when the host the Lloydminster Bobcats on Feb. 9 (5:30 p.m.) before taking on the Calgary Northstars the following day at 2 p.m.

The preliminary plan is to have the first round of the playoffs begin on either Feb. 21 or 22.