The Okotoks Bisons are hoping for a different colour medal than the last time they hosted the Junior B provincials.
Back in 2003, they were the Foothills Bisons and one of their assistant coaches felt they were the best team in the province.
“In 2003, we lost to Fort St. John in the semifinal (3-1),” said former Bisons assistant coach Rob Stier. “We severely outplayed them and we just peppered their goalie with shots. He stood on his head… I thought that was the best team we had in my three years there and the best team at provincials in Okotoks by far.”
Stier, who grew up in the Blackie area, was on the Bisons staff when they lost in the final in 2001 and 2002 to the Edmonton Royals and the Spruce Grove Regals, respectively.
The 2001 team was led by the line of Jaret Miller, Rob McCracken and Jeff Herman. Herman led the Heritage Junior B Hockey League in scoring, while Miller and McCracken tied for second.
The Bisons finished with a 30-5-1-1 record in the Heritage Junior B Hockey League and were undefeated in the league playoffs en route to the championship.
They were also undefeated in the provincial tournament until meeting the Edmonton Royals in the provincial final in Dawson Creek.
“That team was highly skilled on the forward line and we were very tough, we didn’t get intimidated by anyone,” Stier said.
“In the provincial final, the turning point was when (Okotoks native) Jaret Miller got kicked out early on a really questionable hitting from behind call.
“After that we sagged and the other team came on and beat us 5-1.”
The Bisons trailed by a 2-1 margin when Miller was ejected.
McCracken, a High River native, joined the Bisons midway through the season in 2000, after a stint with the Camrose Kodiaks and the Crowsnest Pass Timberwolves of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. He called his full-year with the Bisons in 2001 the best of his career.
“I decided to comeback from Junior A to play with my friends,” said McCracken, who is now a welder in Beaumont. “I was the captain of the team in 2001. I had never been on a team that got along so well.”
“It was all an atmosphere where we took it very seriously. It’s also fun when you win a lot.”
He said it was a long-trip home from Dawson Creek after losing to the Royals.
“We had beat Edmonton with a comeback victory earlier in the round-robin,” McCracken said.
“In the final, they pretty much dominated us. It didn’t seem like we could get anything going.
“It was a heart-broken dressing room.”
The Bisons proved their trip to the finals was no fluke in 2001. They made it back to the provincial final the very next season in Spruce Grove.
The Bisons faced goaltending trouble early in the provincial tournament. After being drubbed by the host Spruce Grove Regals 8-3 in their second game of the tournament, the Bisons made a change in net.
“Our goalies were in a lull for some reason but we had brought a third goalie, 15-year-old Dean Stabler from the AAA Midgets and we decided to put him in,” Stier said.
“We were in a must-win situation and we decided to go with him.”
It caught Stabler by surprise.
“I wasn’t even sure I should bring my gear, let alone think that I would be using it,” the now 26-year-old Stabler said. “It just turned out to be one of those streaks where the puck just kept hitting me. Suddenly, I was in one game then another and then all of sudden the final.
The then Millarville resident Stabler “stood on his head” Stier said in beating the Lloydminster Bandits 4-1 in the semifinal.
Stabler’s magic ran out in the final though as they were beaten 4-1 by the Regals.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we wanted,” Stabler said.
“I wasn’t too nervous by that time. I remember thinking it would be nice to win for those guys who were playing their final game as a Junior.”
Stier ended his coaching career with the Bisons by winning a bronze medal at the Murray Arena in 2003 after Okotoks’ disappointing loss to the Fort St. John Huskies in the semifinal the previous night.
He admitted the Bisons wanted the whole pie that year in front of their hometown, not the bronze.
“We came down from that emotional high of losing to Fort. St. John the night before and now we had to play for the bronze, which didn’t carry a lot of weight,” Stier said, who is now with Western Financial Group.
“I was really proud of the way our team gutted it out.”
The Bisons beat the Lloydminster Bandits, 7-5 for the bronze medal.
The Spruce Grove Regals won the 2003 provincials in Okotoks when they beat Fort St. John in the final.
The Bisons have also won a provincial bronze medal in 2004 and 2006. However, they have yet to win gold at provincials.
Maybe that will all change when the Bisons began the provincials on April 5.
The best Junior B hockey teams in Alberta are heading to Okotoks for the provincial championships April 5 to 8. The last time the Okotoks Bisons hosted the championship, they were the Foothills Bisons and one of their assistant coaches’s felt they were the best team in the province.
“In 2003, we lost to Fort St. John in the semifinal (3-1),” said former Bisons assistant coach Rob Stier. “We severely outplayed them and we just peppered their goalie with shots. He stood on his head… I thought that was the best team we had in my three years there and the best team at provincials in Okotoks by far.”
Stier, who grew up in the Blackie area, played with the Calgary Canucks of the AJHL and the Blackie Roadrunners, was on the Bisons staff when they lost in the final in 2001 and 2002 to the Edmonton Royals and the Spruce Grove Regals, respectively.
The 2001 team was led by the line of Jaret Miller, Rob McCracken and Jeff Herman. Herman led the Heritage Junior B Hockey League in scoring, while Miller and McCracken finished tied for second.
The Bisons finished with a 30-5-1-1 record in the Heritage Junior B Hockey League and were undefeated in the league playoffs en route to the championship.
They were also undefeated in the provincial tournament until meeting the Edmonton Royals in the provincial final in Dawson Creek.
“That team was highly skilled on the forward line and we were very tough, we didn’t get intimidated by anyone,” Stier said. “In the provincial final, the turning point was when (Okotoks native) Jaret Miller got kicked out early on a really questionable hitting from behind call.
“After that we sagged and the other team came on and beat us 5-1.”
The Bisons trailed by a 2-1 margin when Miller was ejected.
McCracken, a High River native, had joined the Bisons midway through the season in 2000, after a stint with the Camrose Kodiaks and the Crowsnest Pass Timberwolves of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. He called his full-year with the Bisons in 2001 the best of his career.
“I decided to comeback from Junior A to play with my friends,” said McCracken, who is now a welder in Beaumont. “I was the captain of the team in 2001. I had never been on a team that got along so well.”
“It was all an atmosphere where we took it very seriously. It’s also fun when you win a lot.”
He said it was a long-trip home from Dawson Creek after losing to the Royals.
“We had beat Edmonton with a comeback victory earlier in the round-robin,” McCracken said. “In the final, they pretty much dominated us. It didn’t seem like we could get anything going.
“It was a heart-broken dressing room.”
The Bisons proved their trip to the finals was no fluke in 2001. They made it back to the provincial final the very next season when they were held in Spruce Grove.
The Bisons faced goaltending trouble early in the provincial tournament. After being drubbed by the host Spruce Grove Regals 8-3 in their second game of the tournament, the Bisons made a change in net.
“Our goalies were in a lull for some reason but we had brought a third goalie, 15-year-old Dean Stabler from the AAA Midgets and we decided to put him in,” Stier said. “We were in a must-win situation and we decided to go with him.”
It caught Stabler by surprise.
“I wasn’t even sure I should bring my gear, let alone think that I would be using it,” the now 26-year-old Stabler said. “It just turned out to be one of those streaks where the puck just kept hitting me. Suddenly, I was in one game then another and then all of sudden the final.
The then Millarville resident Stabler “stood on his head” Stier said in beating the Lloydminster Bandits 4-1 in the semifinal.
Stabler’s magic ran out in the final though as they were beaten 4-1 by the Regals.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we wantedBy that time, I wasn’t nervous,” Stabler said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we wanted . I wasn’t too nervous by that time. I remember thinking it would be nice to win for those guys who were playing their final game as a Junior.”
Stier ended his coaching career with the Bisons by winning a bronze medal at the Murray Arena in 2003 after Okotoks’ disappointing loss to the Fort St. John Huskies in the semifinal the previous night.
He admitted the Bisons wanted the whole pie that year in front of their hometown, not the bronze.
“We came down from that emotional high of losing to Fort. St. John the night before and now we had to play for the bronze, which didn’t ’ carry a lot of weight,” Stier said, who is now with Western Financial Group. “I was really proud of the way our team gutted it out.”
The Bisons beat the Lloydminster Bandits, 7-5 for the bronze medal. The Spruce Grove Regals won the 2003 provincials in Okotoks when they beat Fort St. John in the final.
The Bisons have also won a provincial bronze medal in 2004 and 2006. However, they have yet to win gold at provincials.
Maybe that will all change when the Bisons began the provincials on April 5.
