The gift of giving is giving the Okotoks Bisons a big boost — not that they needed it.
Okotoks extended its unbeaten run to start the Heritage Junior Hockey League season to 15 games with a three-game weekend sweep along with 25 goals to match the $25 per goal donation from Bow Mark Paving to the team’s Movember campaign.
Okotoks kicked off the three-game weekend, its first back-to-back-to-back of the season, by doubling up its biggest foes the Coaldale Copperheads 6-3 on Nov. 1 at the Murray Arena.
“We stressed at the start of the game that we need to come out fast,” said Bisons head coach Chris Beston. “We knew Coaldale would have a strong attack and we need to match that intensity and effort and the boys did exactly what we asked.”
The coaches couldn’t have asked for a better start with the Bisons clearly ready to battle the second highest scoring team in the league boasting the HJHL’s top two scorers entering the night in Jayden Bexte and Isaac Benoit.
Okotoks power forward Brennan Schwark opened the scoring inside two minutes, delivering a huge hit along the boards then going to the net for a one-timer.
Jagger Thiessen scored two minutes later on a deflection in front and Riker Franczak rounded out the first period scoring with a powerplay marker, his first as a Bison.
“It’s a huge relief. I’ve been struggling putting it in for a while now so to get the monkey off the back, the floodgates are going to open,” said Franczak, who started the season with the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals. “Junior A wasn’t working out. I was going to be playing across the country and I decided to come home and play for a team close to home and have some fun playing hockey again.”
Okotoks added to its advantage in the second period on a Tyson Scott tally before the Copperheads struck back for three goals in the final three minutes with a Thiessen goal sandwiched in between. Suddenly, the visitors were within striking distance down 5-3 entering the final stanza.
“We had to play a full 60 minutes, you can’t let off for a second against these guys or it will bite us,” said Bisons defenceman Mitch Wolfe. “A lot of guys just let off because we had that lead and they took it back to us.
“We had a lot to talk about in the intermission there.”
The third period saw Okotoks wrestle back control and Scott add his second of the night to complete the six-goal output.
“It’s pretty early in the year to be standings-watching right now,” Beston said. “But it’s always nice to beat Coaldale, doesn’t matter what time of the year it is.”
Okotoks continued divisional action the following night on the road in Vulcan, eking out a 5-4 result over the Lomond Lakers.
Tyson Laduke notched his first two goals of the season, Tyler Alger also added a pair with Evan Woods also finding the back of the net.
Matt Baba made 21 saves for his first win of the season in goal.
The Bisons exploded for the 14-1 win victory over the Ponoka Stampeders in the Nov. 3 matinee at the Murray Arena to close out the weekend in style.
Ten skaters had multi-point performances for Okotoks led by Scott’s four-goal, six-point effort. Tyler Witzke, Franczak, Devyn Stewart each had two goal games with Laduke, Thiessen, Austin O’Bray and Dylan Wenzel also lighting the lamp, the latter’s first with the club. Alger and blueliners Wolfe and Kale Hawryluk combined for 10 assists in the contest.
Okotoks is home this weekend to a pair of marquee opponents with the Cochrane Generals stopping by on Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. and the defending champion Airdrie Thunder in town on Nov. 10 at 1:15 p.m.
For more information go to okotoksbisons.com
