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Bisons sweep playoffs to repeat as HJHL champions

Hockey: Okotoks completes 11-0 postseason to go back-to-back

The Okotoks Carstar Bisons have completed the back-to-back drive. 

Okotoks edged the Sylvan Lake Wranglers 3-1 Sunday night at the Murray Arena to complete a sweep of the best-of-five league finals and playoffs as whole to repeat as Heritage Junior Hockey League champions. 

“They just want to win, they’ve got that burning desire not to fail,” said Bisons head coach Brad Cobb. “And when you’re at the top of the mountain, you never want to get to the bottom. It’s that fear of getting to the bottom that’s why they come out so hard. 

“I think it was the dedication. At the start of the season, we knew we were hosting provincials and we didn’t want to go in the back door, we wanted to go right through the front door and be the favourites going in.” 

In Game 3 of the finals, an action-packed first 20 minutes saw Okotoks skate into the intermission with a 2-1 advantage.  

Captain Lucas Watkins broke the deadlock on a rebound down low at the 5:01 mark with Wranglers blueliner Ethan Alvarez responding with a goal on a seeing eye point shot just 47 seconds later.  Jaevon Buschlen restored the one-goal advantage in short order, depositing a rebound in the high slot past Sylvan Lake goalie Kaden Toussaint.  

A scoreless middle frame then paved the way for a pressure-cooker third period. 

“The boys were confident in the room, we knew we had enough to win,” Buschlen said. “It was just a matter of playing smart and getting pucks deep. 

“We were looking for that insurance goal and we got it.” 

After starting the scoring, Watkins finished it off as well with an empty-netter with 31 seconds left in regulation. 

All that was left to do was count down the clock as the herd got the opportunity to clinch a title on home ice for the first time since 2014 and sew up its 13th HJHL banner. 

“It means everything, it’s nice to win at home with all of our home fans, it means so much more here,” said Bisons goalie Dylan Fries. “We have great chemistry in the room and I think it really shows on the ice. We start early, get our communication up and the wins follow.” 

The Bisons are the first team to repeat as HJHL champions since the Red Deer Vipers went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.  

“It’s always harder when you come in as the defending champion and you make the playoffs and you go through it and everyone wants to beat you,” Watkins said. “No one wants to see you win again. That aspect, all of the outside noise does make it harder for us. 

“We overcame it in the end.” 

Okotoks had 14 returning players from the 2022 championship team, a veteran core supplemented by a motivated group of first-year Bisons. 

“We have a lot ex-Junior A guys and just a lot of guys that care,” Buschlen said. “Winning last year, a lot of us wanted to go back-to-back. For me, it’s my last year and I just wanted to give it my all and I think most guys know, the younger guys know when it’s the last time for the older guys and they want to play for them because they’re going to be at that point.” 

Okotoks opened the series on March 23 with an authoritative 3-0 victory on the strength of a 27-save shutout from Fries and a quick strike first period with Kaleb Schuller and Buschlen scoring on consecutive shifts. 

In Game 2, the Bisons rode a four-goal final frame to the 5-2 victory in Sylvan Lake on March 25. 

Buschlen, Boogie Blackwater, Jake Snashall, Alaister Standen and Caden Scott provided the offence in the win. 

“They’re a good hockey club and we know we’re going to face even better hockey clubs at provincials,” Cobb said. “So we had to button down and play both ends of the rink, play some defence and some structure and the fellas did that all season long and that’s why we were successful.” 

Okotoks swept Strathmore and Medicine Hat earlier in the playoffs to get to the league final. 

“Speed is our biggest thing, we feel like we can out-skate any team we want,” Watkins added. “We were just doing that effectively and were making all of the right smart plays out there. 

“I love our D-corps. All six guys can play every second of the game. We have no issues with anyone going out there at any time. It’s really nice to have that in front of an unreal goaltender.” 

Fries, the HJHL goaltender of the year, backstopped Okotoks to 10 of its 11 playoff victories. The Stavely product was also in goal for the Bisons’ 2022 championship clinching win. 

“I love pressure, I don’t know how to explain it,” said Fries. “The pressure of playoffs where you lose and you’re done, I hate that so you just battle through that.” 

Cobb and his staff have guided the Bisons to incredible success over two seasons and playoff runs, compiling a cumulative record of 90-8-1. 

“He just knows how to get everybody’s effort out of them,” Buschlen said. “He knows how to fire up the team, knows what to say at the right times and I think he can be that friend, not always a coach, and when you know that as a player that really helps out and you really want to play for your coach.” 

The efforts behind the scenes go beyond those wearing Bisons colours, Cobb added. 

“It’s super nice winning it for my coaching staff, the wives and the girlfriends, the board members,” he said. “Without their support we’re nothing so it’s really special for us to win for them as well.” 

Both the Wranglers and Bisons will be in action at the Hockey Alberta Junior B Provincial Championships from April 6-9. The competition is being held at the Okotoks Centennial Arenas. 

Okotoks, provincial bronze medallists in 2022, last hosted the event in 2012. 

“We’re really confident,” said Buschlen. “But it is completely different and we’ve never played against those other teams. We can’t expect anything other than to just play our game, come out hard and play fast.” 

For more information, go to okotoksbisons.com


Remy Greer

About the Author: Remy Greer

Remy Greer is the assistant editor and sports reporter for westernwheel.ca and the Western Wheel newspaper. For story tips contact [email protected]
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