Bisons hope depth is pipeline to Keystone title

The Okotoks Bisons are abuzz after reaching new heights as first time provincial champions, now they’ll look to add another banner to what has already been a historic season.

Okotoks begins its quest for the Keystone Cup, the Western Canadian Junior B Championships, when it makes the nearly 1,400km trek east to St. Malo, Manitoba from April 18-21.

“We have to win four or the first five and then anyone can win in the final,” said Bisons head coach Mike Hannigan. “Really the preparations are there, we’re ready to go.”

It shouldn’t be difficult for the Bisons players to ramp up the intensity.

Bison blueliner Eddie Tracy has been looking forward to Keystone Cup competition ever since he first laced up his skates for the team three years ago.

“It’s really been bugging me since we lost out in that provincial final last year and when we won this year it felt good, but felt like we had another step to go,” said Tracy. “It’s the highest trophy you can get with the best teams in Western Canada so it’s a pretty big prize.”

With five games in three days in the southern Manitoba town the Bisons are optimistic depth at every position will again be to their advantage.

“Being a team that runs four lines, seven defencemen and two goalies is going to help us and we’re going to need that,” Hannigan said. “Nobody feels good playing two games in seven hours, it’s ridiculous to be honest with you, but it is what it is.

“We will definitely be using shorter shifts and maybe using the other lines a little bit more.”

The Keystone Cup features provincial representatives from B.C. to Ontario as well as the host St. Malo Warriors in a round-robin format. The teams with the top two records in pool play advance to the gold medal game on April 21.

The Bisons will face a measuring stick to see if they belong right from the outset, with their opening tilts against B.C and Saskatchewan teams.

“Those first two are probably our biggest games,” Tracy said. “We’re going to have to come out flying and holding nothing back.”

Okotoks opens Keystone Cup play against B.C.’s Richmond Sockeyes on April 18 and follows it up with a face-off versus the Saskatoon Royals the following morning.

At previous incarnations of the Keystone teams from the West have been best.

Saskatchewan leads all provinces with 10 titles, compared to Alberta’s nine and British Columbia’s eight. B.C. has been the province to beat of late, having won three of the past four Keystone Cups.

Manitoba and Ontario have combined for just three titles and have not finished on top of the podium since 1999.

The two central provinces each feature just one Junior B league and do not hold provincial championships, as is the case with B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan, to determine qualification for the Keystone Cup.

Hannigan, who won a silver medal while behind the bench of the host Airdrie Thunder at the 2000 Keystone Cup, said he expects the Western dominance to continue.

“It’s been that way in the past so I could see it being a same type of story,” Hannigan said. “They’ve skipped the provincial part of it so in one way they’re healthier because they haven’t had to go through the grind of teams in B.C. and Alberta.”

Provincial dominance aside, the six-team competition represents the great unknown to the Bisons and blueliner Matt Howatt wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s better for us so that we don’t look too much into it,” Howatt said. “We don’t really know what to expect so we just have to give it everything we’ve got every game.”

Despite having already made history as the first Bisons’ team to etch its name on the Russ Barnes Trophy as Alberta champions, Howatt insisted his club is not satisfied with what they’ve achieved thus far.

“Getting that accomplishment helps us want to get more,” he said. “We set out at the start of the season to win four accomplishments and this is the last one.

“In provincials we got better every game so we’re continuing to build off that.”

The Bisons meet the host Warriors in the late game on April 19 and wake up early April 20 to square off with the Peguis Juniors, the Keystone Junior Hockey League champions out of Manitoba.

Okotoks closes pool play in flight versus the Thunder Bay Northern Hawks, the Western Ontario representatives, on April 20.

The Keystone Cup can be viewed live and on-demand at Fasthockey.com. To keep up with the latest schedules and results go to keystonecup.ca.