The Bisons men’s hockey team lost two consecutive games in their encounter with the Mount Royal Cougars on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16. The Bisons lost 4-3 and then by 4-1, respectively.
The Bisons were stronger in the first game, outscoring the Cougars in both the second and third period, however, the huge lead possessed by the visiting team in the first period made it impossible for the Bisons to make a comeback.
The tension started building up early, and just a few minutes into the game, the Cougars’ forward Robbie Anhorn scored the first goal at 2:19. The Cougars did not stop and kept dominating until their forward Connor Bouchard scored their second goal at 7:36. The Bisons tried to retaliate but could not get the puck into the back of the net. In the final minute of the first period, just when the fans thought that they could make it to intermission without another goal, defenseman Clay Hanus scored, further extending the Cougars’ lead to make it 3-0.
After winning the first period by three goals, the Cougars entered the second period with a great deal of confidence. The second period began with another early goal, but this time it was for the Bisons. At 3:35, the Bisons forward Jonny Hooker scored an incredible power play goal, and the score stayed the same until the 14th minute. The Cougars forward Josh Tarzwell killed the Bisons’ hope with a goal that put the visiting team in the lead by three goals again.
To close out the second period, the Bisons responded with a goal from their forward, Grady Lane, bringing the score to a promising 4-2.
The Bisons then started strong in the third period with a goal from forward Hayden Ostir in the 4th minute, keeping the team’s hopes high. This early goal in the final period brought a lot of action to the game, leaving the Bisons one goal from tying the score with the Cougars. Both teams played aggressively for the remaining 16 minutes of the match to avoid giving up any more goals. As a result, the final score ended up being 4-3.
The following day, on Nov. 16, both teams continued their aggression on the ice. Again, the Cougars scored the opening goal with forward Dawson Milliken after 10:43 into the first period.
As the game proceeded, it seemed like more goals were on the horizon in the period, but despite the great intensity, the first period ended with the lone goal by the Cougars.
In the second period, Hooker scored for the Bisons to close the lead at 9:44 during a power play to put them back in the game. No goal was scored afterwards, making the score 1-1 at the end of the second period.
Both teams came into the third period with great determination, with the Bisons trying to revenge their loss from the previous day’s game and the Cougars looking to get a back-to-back win on the home ice of the Bisons.
The game’s deciding third period started with the most ferocity. Justin Lies, the Cougars’ forward, scored a power play goal at 2:18 to gain the lead early in the third period, continuing their outstanding play. The Bisons had a chance to tie the score, but all their efforts were in vain, and the Cougars were able to increase their lead despite the Bisons efforts. At 14:18, defenseman Remy Aquilon gave the Cougars a 3-1 lead.
Despite the two-goal deficit, the Bisons persisted to score a goal against the Cougars. Spencer Moe scored the Cougars’ fourth goal at 17:15 — just three minutes after the third goal was scored — and the game ended with a 4-1 victory for the Cougars.
With 10 games already completed, the Bisons are in fourth place with six points on the Canada West East standings. They are four points ahead of Regina, who have already played 12 games, and 16 points behind Alberta, who leads the region’s table with 12 games played.
The Bisons’ next games are both in Calgary against the Calgary Dinos on Friday, Nov. 22 and Saturday, Nov. 23.
