The Okotoks Junior B Bisons feel like they hit rock bottom this weekend and that just made Sunday’s result even sweeter.
The Bisons dropped consecutive games on Friday and Saturday to the Blackfalds Ford Wranglers and the Strathmore Wheatland Kings respectively. However, they came back with a vengeance on Sunday to stun the first-place Coaldale Copperheads 9-2.
The romp over South Division-leading Coaldale improved the Bisons’ record to 12-9 with 24 points. Okotoks sits one point behind the Copperheads (11-6-2-1) for first place in the division.
Against Blackfalds on Friday the Bisons fell behind quickly surrendering three first-period goals at the Murray Arena.
Okotoks responded with Derek Schlamp’s 10th of the season, a shorthanded effort, in the second period but markers from Wranglers Chance Abbott and Kyle Maas put the game out of reach.
Schlamp would add his second of the night in the third period to close the gap but it wasn’t nearly good enough. The visitors stunned Okotoks taking home a 6-2 victory.
Christian Chivilo got the start and gave up five goals for the Bisons while Tyler Hughes made 13 saves in relief.
Neither team recorded a powerplay goal despite 11 opportunities combined. Blackfalds held a 36-31 advantage in shots.
With their losing streak stretched to three games, the Bisons had a chance to get back in the win column the following night in Strathmore.
Unfortunately, the lowly Wheatland Kings proved to be ungracious hosts and dumped Okotoks 5-1.
The Bisons found themselves down by two in the first period until defenceman Peter Soroka’s fourth of the year cut the deficit in half heading into the first intermission.
Neither team lit the lamp in the second; as a result the one-goal game would come down to a decisive third period.
Strathmore took control in the final frame with goals from Nathan Voytechek, Jordan Griffiths and Hayden Warrack to make it 5-1. The Bisons mounted nothing in the way of a comeback and would up losing by the four-goal margin.
Riding a four-game losing streak, including several poor efforts in a row, the Bisons were left with the daunting task of trying to regroup at home on Sunday.
As Soroka explained, the realization of what was at stake came during a coaches-players meeting following the Strathmore loss.
“(With) the four-game losing streak, we had to do something, come back and get some energy in our lineup,” he said.
Bisons coach Rory Hennigan explained the reason for having a team-only meeting.
“Basically it really felt like we’d hit rock bottom. When you hit rock bottom, you can’t yell and scream to get out of it. You’ve got to talk your way out of it and figure out what you’ve got to do to change to actually climb out of the hole,” he explained.
With yelling and screaming off the table, the players and coaches were able to exchange ideas and hold each other accountable.
The results were evident on Sunday at the Murray Arena.
First-place Coaldale strolled into the meeting three points ahead of Okotoks for first in the South Division.
Riding a hot streak of their own, Coaldale hoped to steal two points from the reeling Bisons.
They never came close.
The Bisons came out with a renewed effort and stomped the Copperheads 9-2 in front of a rejuvenated home crowd.
Okotoks took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission with goals from Lucas Mikkelsen, Ty Fehr and Aaron Elaschuik.
The Bisons added three more goals in the second from Brett MacDonald, Fehr and Joel Vandervelden to take a five-goal lead.
Three more Okotoks goals in the final frame put the finishing touches on a 9-2 victory over the visiting Copperheads.
While the Bisons were happy to claim the victory, the celebration was tempered with thoughts and prayers for forward Colin MacMurdo.
MacMurdo sustained an injury to his lower leg in the third period of the game that required immediate attention and an ambulance to be dispatched to the arena.
The 5-11 Calgary-native appeared to have been cut by a skate during a routine play. He was wheeled out on a stretcher from the game but he was conscious, sitting up and was verbal.
While the game was noteworthy enough on its own, the arena was buzzing after a massive brawl in the second period that resulted in mass ejections for both teams.
The brawl began after a goal from Fehr, his second of the night.
Fehr was met with a vicious crosscheck to the face after scoring the goal. The cheap shot prompted a response from his Bisons’ teammates.
“Fehr scored a nice goal and he got ran from behind so the rest of the boys jumped in and stood up for our teammate,” Soroka said.
Hennigan pulled no punches regarding the circumstances surrounding the brawl.
“That was a complete cheap shot that started it,” he said. “That was a disgrace what they were doing, especially after a goal like that.”
Twelve game misconducts were handed out following the brawl as every skater on the ice at the time was ejected, goalies included.
Bisons’ goaltender Chivilo earned the win with 21 saves prior to his ejection while Hughes finished the game with 13 stops on 14 shots.
While a massive fight isn’t an ideal team-building exercise, the camaraderie shown off the heels of the team meeting was evident.
Soroka credited his teammates for putting their money where their mouth was.
“We had a good chat after the game yesterday (Saturday) and we really came together and showed what we can do tonight,” he said.
Hennigan added, “We had a good chat with them. It was all positive and they took that and they turned it into this. This was a full 60 minute (effort). It was a tough game, they played hard.”
Coaldale was unable to match the physical tone set from the get-go by the Bisons. The Copperheads knew it too, Hennigan said.
“We were tougher than them tonight and they couldn’t handle it.”
The Bisons will play Ponoka and Medicine Hat on the road next weekend before taking a break for the Christmas holidays. They will return to the Murray Arena on Sunday, Jan. 9 for a game versus Strathmore. Puck drop will be at 1:15 p.m.
