Playoff momentum is flying with High River early in the Battle of the Foothills.
Coming off a dramatic play-in series triumph, the High River Brewing Co. Flyers carried it over into round two with a 4-1 victory over the Carstar Okotoks Bisons in Game 1 of the best-of-five Heritage Junior Hockey League South Semifinal Saturday night at the Murray Arena.
“We just stuck to our systems and the boys all really want this, guys are all digging deep,” said Flyers defenceman Ty Coady, one of 10 Okotoks area players on the team. “We’ve got a lot of injuries, but a lot of guys who really want to win.”
It’s the first loss on home ice all season for Okotoks, who had a bye through the first-round, and its first playoff defeat over a 12-game span which dates back to 2022.
“They would have had a lot of energy, especially the way they won (round one) in overtime,” said Bisons head coach Brad Cobb. “They’re coming in with lots of swagger, lots of energy, they did a good job tonight.
“We’ve got to be a little bit better from the net out, fine tune some things and we’ll be all right.”
Okotoks took the early play, registering the first 10 shots before special teams impacted the opening frame.
On just its third shot of the period, High River struck on a shorthanded break through Brendan McKague with just over six minutes left in the first.
“We were plugging along pretty good there, the shots were 16-3 and you’re down 1-0,” said Cobb. “So we lost a little bit of jump, but as far as three periods of hockey, I thought we did fine, we maybe gripped the sticks a little bit tight.
“The week off and not playing in the middle of the week maybe hurt us a little bit.”
The Bisons rallied late to force an equalizer, peppering the Flyers net with Kashton Payne standing tall in turning aside all 24 shots through 20 minutes.
Special teams again told the tale in the middle stanza.
High River captain Brandon Jarman scored in the late stages of a man advantage and with 69 seconds left in the period the Flyers struck again seconds after a powerplay opportunity ended.
In the third, Okotoks got on the board through the man advantage on its 50th shot of the game.
Captain Lucas Watkins pinched in from the point and beat Payne with a post and in shot.
High River answered with its own powerplay tally with Easton Weaselhead alone on the backdoor for an insurance marker in the late stages.
Payne, a former Bison, made 53 saves in the victory.
“It’s a little tough playing against friends,” added Coady, also a former Bison. “But we’ve just got to listen to what our coach says, on the ice they’re not our friends, they’re our enemies and our friends are our teammates.
“Special teams is very important and (Payne) stood on his head. That was big for Kashton.”
Series schedule
Game 1: Feb. 24, Murray Arena. Flyers win 4-1.
Game 2: Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m. Bob Snodgrass Recplex.
Game 3: Feb. 27, 8:15 p.m. Murray Arena
*Game 4: -Schedule not out
*Game 5: March 2, 8 p.m. Murray Arena.
*If necessary
