Bisons have confident mindset heading into Telus

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

The UFA Bisons have been on a tear this postseason and this group is destined to try and cap it all off with a national championship at the Telus Cup, which begins on April 20 in Riviere-du-Loup, Que.
Veteran players will have to take a larger leadership role and calm the nerves going in.
“To be completely honest at the beginning of the year, nobody really expected us to go this far, our team too included because we were being realistic,” said second year defensemen Sebastian Kilcommons. “We didn’t want to get our hopes up. We started a bit of a hot streak after Christmas and kept pushing, not willing to give up … compared to last year, it’s quite a feat.”
He says it has been a completely different atmosphere surrounding the team this year and that’s been the key to what they have been able to accomplish this year.
“This year, compared to any team I’ve ever played with, probably has the most overall heart that I’ve ever been able to be a part of,” said Kilcommons. “None of the guys ever give up, like even the games that we’ve been down one or two goals, nobody swayed or varied, it was just optimistic that we can come back from this.”
He admits it will be a pretty special feeling representing the Pacific region in the Telus Cup.
“Personally, I’m still in a little bit of shock because it’s hard enough to fathom the idea of coming from not just representing our zone, province but actually Western Canada for a national title,” said Kilcommons. “It’s incredible to be the first Bison team to go this far and set a standard for future teams.”
The Bisons will have to keep up their resilient play, as they will have to realize that every other team will have played just as hard to get to this point.
“Dan will emphasize the basics, work hard and never give up because every other team there will have made it this far because they won’t give up,” said Kilcommons. “They’ll fight inch-by-inch until the end so we’ll have to battle it out as long as we can.”
What he is most looking forward to is the old-style shops that Quebec has to offer and to trying a couple of cultural staples in crepes and poutine.
Barrett Sheen, who has had been a force with his big frame all over the ice this postseason, could not be any happier being apart of this run.
“The Bisons haven’t done it before, so to be a part of the first team, it’s pretty cool,” said Sheen. “The hope is to go in there, do our best and we’ll have a good shot.”
Sheen feels that once the plane lands in Quebec, the feeling of representing the Pacific will become more of a reality.
“I think once we get there it’ll feel like it actually happened and it’ll start to sink in,” said Sheen.
He is looking forward to experience the new language and the excitement around the town with the event.
For Bisons coach Dan MacDonald, it will be his fifth time at the national championship, and he says simply that there is not much to say to the players at this point in the season other than just to work hard.
“We’ve had the same mindset since the playoffs started is that we know what we have to do as a group and that’s to work really hard and have fun doing it,” said MacDonald. “It’s almost who has the most will in the end, those games are really tight because the players play so hard. Your mindset has to be ‘I can’t ever give in or give up’ at any time.”
“There’s going to be a real fatigue factor because you don’t get much time to recover. These are young bodies and I think our chances are good.”
The herd will begin preliminary play on April 20 versus the Grenadiers de Chateauguay (2 p.m. MT), followed on April 21 when they play the hosts Albatros du College Notre Dame (5:30 p.m. MT).
They will take on the Regina Pat Canadians (2 p.m. MT) on April 22, the Newbridge Academy Gladiators (10 a.m. MT) on April 23 and the Toronto Nationals on April 24 (7:30 a.m. MT).
For updates throughout the games, you can log onto www.hockeycanada.ca and click on the Telus Cup link underneath the national championships tab.