Never look a gift horse in the mouth when playing the red- hot two-time defending league champions.
Trailing by a goal the host High River Flyers were made to pay for their lack of execution on a six-minute powerplay against the Okotoks Bisons Friday at the Bob Snodgrass Recplex in High River.
The visitors killed the penalties and went on to explode for three unanswered goals to lock down a 6-2 win over the Flyers.
Alternate captain Zach Baba was the guilty party just moments after the Bisons took a 3-2 lead on a goal from Brodie Eisbrenner with 47 seconds left in the middle frame. Baba was assessed six minutes in penalties for spearing during the goal celebration.
“That was pretty much what decided the game for us,” said Bisons assistant general manager BJ Horsey. “It was undisciplined of us and the guy who did it knows better. Emotions run high against High River because it’s a big rivalry, but we knew we could kill it and if we succeeded the game was ours.”
Bisons’ rookie blueliner Tyson Arnholtz said shutting down the dangerous Flyers’ offence led by Alex Pronchuk and Tom Mikrut was paramount to escape the powerplay unscathed.
“They’re kind of unpredictable on their powerplay, they have a good set up and we didn’t really need that penalty in the game,” Arnholtz said. “We just had to kill it and move on.”
The inability to convert on the extended man advantage opportunity deflated the young High River squad in the final stanza, said Mikrut.
“That comes down to us as leaders, we’re relied on to score goals,” said Mikrut, the Flyers’ captain. “Our breakout just wasn’t clicking and it’s one of those games where if you have a six-minute penalty it can change the entire game.”
As the hosts felt defeated, withstanding the Flyers’ onslaught rejuvenated the visitors. Eisbrenner would add his second of the game after Dillon Loomer did great work to pull Flyers goalie Myles Dunne out of position and left the puck sitting in the crease for Eisbrenner to tap in.
Rookie Zak Johns then potted his fourth of the year to give the Bisons a three-goal lead. In the final minute Eddie Tracy rubbed further salt in the Flyers’ wounds converting on a wicked snap-shot from the point.
The four-goal win was somewhat surprising after an even opening frame in which the South division foes exchanged a pair of goals each. Jeremy Smith opened the scoring for Okotoks, answered by Mikrut, a former Bison, who registered his 19th goal of the year. Anthony Guzzi restored the lead for the Bisons on an unassisted marker before Pronchuk tied it a 2-2 just 18 seconds later.
The victory marked an atonement of sorts for the Bisons who lost their season opener in High River by a 3-2 margin in September.
“We lost our first game of the year here and this game has been very important for us to come back here and prove to ourselves and the other team that they shouldn’t have won,” Horsey said.
Bison Tyler Hughes stopped 23 shots to pick up his league leading ninth win of the season on Friday. Eisbrenner, who finished with a team high two goals and four points, looks to have found a home on the third line, flanked by Johns and Baba.
“The moment you try to do the fancy stuff when you’re a new line together things don’t work as well,” Eisbrenner said. “All three of us are willing to go into the corner and sacrifice in order to get the puck to the other guy and that’s been the biggest thing for us.”
The Flyers (8-11) were on somewhat of a roll entering the contest riding a three-game winning streak, highlighted by victories over the Coaldale Copperheads and Strathmore Wheatland Kings.
“I wouldn’t say they were our best games, but it was a weekend that can change everything around for you,” Mikrut said. “We have had an up-and-down season so to beat Coaldale and Strathmore with their top two or three scorers is definitely a big boost.”
The Flyers have a week to think about the loss to the Bisons before traveling to Red Deer to square off with the Vipers on Nov. 23.
The Bisons (18-2-1) extended their unbeaten streak to 18 games on Saturday after dispatching the Mountainview Colts 5-4 in Didsbury.
Alex Bilton stopped 40 of 44 Mountainview shots for his ninth win of the season for Okotoks.
The Bisons return to their home digs for the first time in two weeks when they welcome the Banff Bears to Murray Arena at 8 p.m. on Friday. Okotoks hits the road to Red Deer for a Saturday night showdown and then closes out the weekend at home in a face-off versus the Ponoka Stampeders on Sunday at 1:15 p.m.
For full schedules and results visit www.okotoksbisons.com.
