Bisons prep for playoffs

Times Reporter   

 

With a record of 2-3-1 for the month of January, UFA Bisons general manager Wayne Hansen isn’t worried about his team with the AMHL playoffs looming.

“It’s hard to get refocused after the holidays, and get everyone back settled with their billets,” Hansen said, especially after the Mac’s Tournament in December. “It certainly wasn’t unexpected.”

The Bisons have four games remaining before the playoffs, against the Calgary Buffaloes, the Calgary Flames, the St Albert Sports Raiders, and CAC Gregg Distributors. The latter will be the most difficult matchup, as CAC is second in the North Division.

“It’s a big challenge for us moving forward,” Hansen said. “We have four games to get ourselves ready, and position ourselves where we want to be for the playoffs. We certainly want a first round bye; in order for that to happen, we’ll have to win three or four of our games.”

The Bisons are second in the South Division (19-9-3 on the year) – though the top six teams in each division qualify for the playoffs, only the top two get byes to start the post-season.

“We’re about where we expected to be. We maybe started a little bit better than we thought. We knew that after mid-November until the end, that we’d get better and better. We’ve done that,” Hansen said. “We’ve already clinched home for the playoffs in the first round, but we really want that first round bye to give our boys a chance to rest up.”

To continue their success into remaining games, Hansen says the boys have to take head coach Dan MacDonald’s systems to heart.

“We’re going to have to continue to improve on the things Dan has had them working on – puck possession, our passing, our speed,” Hansen said. “They’re good now, but they’re going to have to get better for us to be really, really successful.

Hansen credits some of this year’s success to the new billet program for the players.

“It’s changed a lot of things,” he said. “It’s a lot tighter knit group than we’ve had in previous years. These guys became teammates and friends right from the start. Usually at the start of the season, that takes us the first four to six weeks.”

Hansen and MacDonald will be depending on this tight-knit group for the post-season, but especially the older, mature 17-year-old veterans.

“One of the things I’ve always told new coaches when they come in, is your 15-year-olds and 16-year-olds will get you to the playoffs, but your 17-year-olds are the ones that will win you a championship,” Hansen said. “They’re a little bit stronger too – it’s a grind.”

The Bisons’ next season game is away on Feb. 1, against the Buffaloes.