The beat goes on despite a rotating ensemble for the Okotoks Bisons.
Okotoks (14-1-1) made it 14 games with at least one point and extended its winning streak to seven with a pair of Southern Division triumphs on the weekend to solidify top-spot in the Heritage Junior Hockey League
“I do think we’ve had some off-nights, but because we have so much depth we might have on off-period, but in the games we haven’t been at our best still play well enough to win,” said Bisons general manager Ryan Rarick.
“We do have an amazing record, but the injuries we’ve had this year have been like nothing I’ve ever seen before in all my years in hockey. There’s been games we’ve had as many as nine players out so we’ve relied on affiliates and they’ve come in and played really well.”
Affiliate players made an impact in both weekend victories.
Dylan Fries served up a 22-save performance for his third win of the season for Okotoks with the home team receiving contributions throughout the lineup as Okotoks clipped the High River Flyers 8-3 on Nov. 5 at the Murray Arena.
Leading scorer AJ Belanger scored twice, blueliner Kegan Law and centre Austin O’Bray each added a goal and two assists, Dan Lindeman had a goal and a helper and affiliate player Isaac Standen notched his first goal in the victory.
At the other end of the ice, Hunter McInenly stopped 48 shots in a valiant effort in between the pipes with Kyle Burritt, Grady Bakken and Alex Aguilar providing the offence for High River.
“We had three affiliates in and you wouldn’t know they were affiliates,” Rarick added. “They played really, really well.”
The Bisons closed the weekend by knocking off the Strathmore Wheatland Kings by a 4-1 count on Nov. 6.
Affiliate Domenic Ficcacio broke the 1-1 deadlock in the third period for what proved to be the game-winner. Kyle Newnham scored a powerplay goal and Alaister Standen scored twice.
Layton Draper made 14 saves to pick up his league leading 11thwin of the campaign.
“We’ve had everyone chip in,” Rarick said. “We have had a lot of injuries, but we’re blessed with a lot of depth and it’s scary to think that I don’t know if we’ve been able to ice a full lineup, just as full of a lineup as we can put in.
“…we’ve had a really good start to the year and we’re almost halfway through the season and hopefully we can run the table here and get healthy and start to finish play like I know we can.
“By no means am I unhappy with the record we have, I’m elated, but I know we can be better and we will be. There’s another level.”
Okotoks is on the road this weekend with stops in High River on Nov. 12 and in Lethbridge on Nov. 13 to clash with the Kainai Braves to start the first two of five in a row away from home. The Bisons’ next date in Okotoks is Nov. 28.
For more information go to okotoksbisons.com.
