Bisons brace for royal matchup

Tyler Lowey
Times Reporter

 

The number one seeds from the Dodge and Chrysler division haven’t met in the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL) final since the 2013-2014 season when the Red Deer Optimist Chiefs iced the Lloydminster Baker Hughes Bobcats 3-1 in the best-of-five series.
The two top teams tangle for the first time this weekend, when the CFR Chemicals Bisons (16-0-2) and Sherwood Park J. Ennis Kings (14-1-3) meet Dec. 3 at Sherwood Park Arena.
“We all know the standings, know who has done what and against who, so this is a great opportunity to see where we stand up against some of the better teams,” said Bisons head coach Sandy Henry.
“The Bisons are always one of the top teams,” said Kings head coach Leo Reagan. “We saw them a little bit during the showcase here a few weeks ago. We know they have a good offence with that Krebs kid and his line is playing well, but even with having the last change, I’m not one to match lines at this point in the year, I’m confident with whoever we roll out there.”
The Kings have been nearly as dominant as the Bisons this season. They are tied with the Bisons for the second-fewest goals allowed (35) and sit third in goals for with 75. Their top line of Eric Blanchette (14 G, 16 A), Graham Blanchette (13 G, 13 A) and Chase Lowry (10 G, 13 A) occupy three of the top five slots in league scoring.
In net, Ethan Kruger is tied for second with two shutouts, and carries a .926 save percentage and 2.00 goals against average.
Bisons captain Brett Trentham hasn’t paid too much attention to the standings and leaderboards; he remains focused on the task at hand.
“Points are just points. We probably have more guys overall in the leaderboard,” said Trentham, who is correct: the Bisons boast five skaters in the top 30, while the Kings have four. “I don’t really read too much into that, I have the utmost confidence in our guys to go there and get the job done.”
It might be beneficial for the Bisons to face the Kings in their barn first. The Strathmore Family Centre allows the Bisons to practice on a smaller surface, and this marks the final significant regular season road trip for the herd.
“We have been playing on smaller rinks all year and we have been successful. We will practice in the blue arena this week to understand the width a little bit better,” said Henry. “It will be nice to get the road trips over and done with.”
While the Bisons can prepare for the closer quarters, the staff doesn’t have anything but box scores and league-wide hubbub to go off of.
Bisons centre Payton Krebs sits fourth in league scoring with 10 goals and 23 points in four fewer games, played with five Kings on Team Alberta during the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup last October.
“There might be a few things I can say on the bench during the game, but it’s hockey and so much has probably changed from then to now,” said Krebs. “If we play like we have all season, get off to a good start, roll all four lines strong, we will do well.”
Krebs still stays in contact with Team Alberta teammates Ethan Browne, Matthew Robertson, Carter Chorney, Jake Lee and Bryce Bader, but hasn’t had too much back-and-forth about the upcoming tilt.
The Kings might have been carried by the Blanchette line early, but the roster deepens with a trio of first-round picks from the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft.
Robertson was selected seventh overall by the Edmonton Oil Kings, Browne was taken 14th overall by the Everett Silvertips and Lee was picked four spots later by the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Don’t let the Dodge division standings fool you — the Kings are the only team above .500 — the Kings have taken care of business and played the other top-ranked teams from the Chrysler division.
The Kings are 1-0-1 against the second place Calgary Buffaloes and trimmed the third-place Calgary Royals 5-4 back on Oct. 30. The Bisons have yet to play the Buffs or Royals.
“Honestly, we don’t think about what they do, it’s what we do. We need to play our game, push on in an energetic manner and force them to react to us,” said Henry. “It’s going to be a fun game. Our guys are excited for it.”
The Bisons and Kings won’t meet again until Feb. 18, the second last game of the season, when the Kings come down to the Strathmore Family Centre.