The Bisons men’s hockey team held their 2025–26 home opener at Wayne Fleming Arena on Friday, Oct. 17. They faced the Calgary Dinos, and the match ended in a 4-0 loss for the Bisons.

The game started off with a thunderous cheer. Initially, the Dinos led the attacks with the Bisons backed up to defend. Both teams were testing each other out, playing cautiously to avoid mistakes. The Bisons were working the puck deep along the boards to their wingers, who would either drive toward the slot or feed a centring pass for an open scoring chance. In the opening period, the Dinos had nine shots on goal, while the Bisons had five, but neither team was able to score.

The second period started with the Dinos launching multiple offensive attacks. Just under six minutes in, the Dinos forward Hayden Pakkala broke the deadlock, banging in a rebound to give the Dinos a 1-0 lead. Midway through the period, the Dinos kept the pressure on, and defenceman Connor Horning sniped another one past the Bisons goalie to double their lead. The Bisons had a couple of chances but could not capitalize on them, and by the end of the period, the Bisons were down by 2-0.

In the third period, the Dinos were back at the attack. Despite the Bisons attacking initially, the Dinos forward Jacksenn Hungle scored early in the period to make the score 3-0, putting the Bisons on their heels. The Bisons tried to mount a comeback, peppering Dinos’ goalie Carl Stankowski with shots, but he was a brick wall. Late in the period, with the Bisons’ net empty for the extra attacker, Dinos forward Adam Kydd fired one down the ice for the empty netter, sealing the game at 4-0.

Bisons men’s hockey head coach Gordon Burnett shared his views on the game. “The second [period] wasn’t great, but I think it was a little better than our first, after things calmed down. In the third period, I thought we did some really good things.”

Regarding the breakdown of the scoring and the performance during the game, he said, “I thought we got better as the game went on, and I think that if we play the same way we played this afternoon tomorrow afternoon, I think it’s [going to be] a different result on the scoreboard.” He added, “I think Carl Stankowski did a really good job in their net, and not to take away from the game they played, but I think their goalie did do a good job, and you have to give him his credit […] I think there’s some chances that we missed on.”

“We’ll look to recover for tomorrow and see if we can change the result.”

Some players stood out during the game, such as Sam Borschowa, defenceman for the Bisons, who showed effort in defence and tried to contain the Dinos’ attack. He blocked shots and contributed defensively throughout the game, even though the game did not go their way.

Another standout was Stankowski, Dinos goalie, who was the backbone of the team’s defence, stopping all 32 shots from the Bisons, contributing to Dinos’ control throughout the game. His performance devastated the Bisons as they could not score.

Pakkala, Dinos forward, also played well. He opened the scoring in the second period and consistently created offensive opportunities. His initial goal and presence in the centre ice helped the Dinos maintain momentum and put pressure on the Bisons’ defence.

The Bisons faced the Dinos again on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Wayne Fleming Arena. The Bisons put up a good fight, but it was not enough, as they lost 5-4.

The Bisons men’s hockey team will face Mount Royal Cougars on Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. CT