With first place in the Heritage Junior Hockey League already sewn up, the Okotoks Bisons got a taste of playoff level hockey in their second last game of the regular season.
The Bisons edged the Medicine Hat Cubs 7-6, a team fighting for the fifth and last seed for the playoffs in the South Division, at the Kinplex Arena on Feb. 4.
Bisons coach and general manager Jay McFarlane said his players were reminded of one of hockey’s oldest truths as they prepare for the postseason.
“I think it was a great lesson for the boys to understand that you have to respect your opponent and you have to be ready for a desperate team that wants to knock you off,” McFarlane said.
Okotoks trounced Medicine Hat 15-2 in its previous matchup and looked poised to continue its dominance when it jumped out to a 3-1 lead through the first 20 minutes. The Bisons let their foot off the gas in the middle stanza and the playoff-starved Cubs came storming back with four unanswered goals.
“Medicine Hat fought like any team trying to get into playoffs,” McFarlane said. “We had taken them a little bit lightly for sure after seeing their first period performance and were awakened and surprised by the heart and hustle they had for period number two.”
The Bisons answered the questions asked of them in the final period when they got goals from brothers Kevan and Lucas Mikkelsen to tie the game 6-6, setting the stage for the game winning goal from Okotoks captain Chase Fallis with just eight minutes on the clock. Fallis, who scores most of his goals from in front of the net, said his 21st marker of the year came from a distance.
“I just went down the sideboards and took a slapshot from the blueline and it just went over the goalie’s shoulder short side,” Fallis said.
The Bisons may not have been the biggest victors from the South Division tilt, as the High River Flyers jumped past the Cubs with a victory on Feb. 5 to clinch the last spot in the playoffs.
“High River was obviously very excited about that outcome,” McFarlane said. “We did them a little of a favour for sure to get them into the playoffs.”
As the first seed in the South Division, Okotoks earned a first round playoff bye. The Bisons will have a 11-day layoff from game action as they await the end of the season and then the winner of the Flyers and Coaldale Copperheads best out-of-three series.
Fallis said the team won’t have any issues keeping their eyes on the prize.
“We have to look forward for the playoffs coming up, it’s what we’ve played all year for,” Fallis said. “We don’t want to go all the way through the year earning first place and then get knocked out in the first round.”
To combat the lack of game action the Junior B club will have an intersquad game with the Okotoks Midget AA Oilers on Feb. 16 at Murray Arena. The latter features several affiliate players for the Bisons including forwards Zak Johns, Jeff Harvey, Brandon Davis, Darren Bordt and Dylan Wilson as well as blueliners Bryce Honish, Trent Schussler and goalie Nico Struik.
“It will be a good opportunity to see them all at once as well as have a fast-paced clean hockey game in preparation for the weekend,” McFarlane said. “We’ve never done that and both clubs are excited to do that.” The Bisons played their last game of the season against the Banff Academy Bears on Feb. 7, but results were too late for press time. Okotoks will host the first game of the South semifinals, a best-out-of-seven series, Feb. 18 at 8:15 p.m. and game two of the series on Feb. 19 a 12:15 p.m. Both games are at Murray Arena. For more information on the Bisons go to www.okotoksbisons.com.
