What a weird homecoming of sorts for the newest Okotoks Bison.
Adam Kirkpatrick returned to Okotoks and promptly scored the game-winner for the Bisons to beat his hometown team, the Strathmore Wheatland Kings, in Heritage Junior B Hockey League action on Sept. 24 at the Murray Arena.
He got the lone goal in the third period to snap a 3-3 tie for Okotoks’ 4-3 victory.
“It was at the end of the shift and I got a nice pass from (Dan) Lindeman on the right-point and I was lucky enough to put it far side,” said Kirkpatrick, who grew up in Strathmore. “I know most of the guys over there. Kind of cool to play against old friends, but strange at the same time.”
He was playing in his first game as a Bison, having started the season with the Lloydminster Bobcats of the AJHL. When Lloyd traded the forward to a team in Ontario, he opted for Okotoks, where he played some minor hockey.
“I played minor hockey in Okotoks for the last three or four years, the Bow Mark Oilers, and Ryan Rarick (Bisons GM) contacted me and asked me if I wanted to play here.”
His hometown friends from Strathmore gave the Bisons a scare.
“It was tighter than it should have been,” Kirkpatrick said. “We may have played down to their level a bit, but it was good to get the two points.
The victory improved the Bisons to 3-1. They have rattled off a pair of victories after losing their home-opener 6-1 to the Cochrane Generals on Sept. 17. They downed the Rocky Rams 4-1 on Sept. 18.
Bison captain Evan Woods said the herd regrouped in the dressing room after the second period in the victory over the Wheaties.
“We had a bad second period and we knew that,” Woods said. “We knew we were capable of being better than that.
“We stayed calm, set some goals – goals for the team. We had a good mindset going into the third and we achieved our goals.”
The result of achieving those goals played into Kirkpatrick’s game winning goal.
The Bisons took a 2-1 lead in the opening period on goal by High River’s Alaister Standen, his second of the season, and Okotoks product Jaevon Buschlen. It was also Buschlen’s second of the year.
But the Kings were the dominate squad in the second stanza.
Strathmore jumped out to a 3-2 lead on goals by Ethan Van Egmond and an unassisted marker by Jayden Hendricks.
The herd was able to tie the game when hard-working Austin O’Bray notched his second of the season with an unassisted goal.
Kirkpatrick then potted his game-winner.
Layton Draper picked up his third win of the season in the net, turning in a steady workman-like effort in stopping 25 of 28 shots.
“It’s a big win,” Woods said. “We struggled a little bit, but we got away with it. We just have to build on it. I think it sets the tone because we are going to play them quite a few more times this year.”
The Bisons were scheduled to play the Ponoka Stampeders on Sept. 25 but the game was postponed.
The win improved the Bisons to 3-1 in the Heritage Junior B Hockey League. They are second in the Southern division, two points behind the 4-0 Generals.
