The Bisons men’s hockey team played against the Saskatchewan Huskies on Oct. 16 and 17. The first game resulted in a 0-4 loss for the herd. However, they were able to win the second game 2-1.
On Oct. 16, the game started with early pressure from the Huskies, including a shot toward the pipe two minutes in. The Bisons began their counterattack with serious pressure, but the Huskies were no slouches and ramped up the pressure on their side with more attempted shots on goal.
The game remained rather uneven in the first 10 minutes, with the Huskies having most of the pressure but unable to break through and score a goal. The Bisons’ defence locked down, limiting the Huskies’ chances of scoring.
The Huskies were eventually able to break through with a goal from distance by Tyler Parr around the 13-minute mark, his first goal of the season, with assists from Rhett Rhinehart and Jaydon Dureau. The period continued to go poorly for the Bisons as the Huskies attacked with renewed morale upon smelling victory, but the Bisons’ defence prevented the concession of another goal.
The Huskies ended the first period with 18 shots on target and the Bisons with five.
The second period began with the Huskies attacking the Bisons. The Huskies continued to dominate for the next five minutes of the second period, causing Skyler Bruce to receive a penalty for high-sticking. The Bisons cracked under pressure and conceded a goal around the nine-minute mark in the second period by Chase Bertholet, his first goal of the season.
The Huskies then conceded two simultaneous penalties, giving the Bisons a power play to turn the game around. However, the herd was unable to seize this opportunity with the Huskies’ goalie, Nolan Maier, coming in clutch.
In the last four minutes of the second period, the Bisons received two penalties, and the herd did their best to defend against the Huskies’ offensive attacks during another power play. However, the herd was unsuccessful as Liam Keeler scored the Huskies’ third goal, assisted by Bertholet and Landon Kosior.
The Huskies started the third period full-throttle, attacking the Bisons with everything they had. Ashton Ferster scored the fourth goal for the Huskies, his first of the season, two minutes into the third period. The Bisons fought back, resulting in a penalty for the Huskies.
The Bisons were unable to capitalize on this power play with the Huskies’ iron fortress of a net. The Huskies attempted to widen their lead before the end of the game, but the Bisons refused to concede any more goals. Game one ended in a 0-4 loss for the herd.
In game two, both teams attacked early but were unable to break through the other’s defence. The Bisons received a penalty near the end of the first period, but the Huskies were unable to capitalize on their power play, and the first period ended goalless, with 10 shots on goal for the Huskies and six for the Bisons.
The second period went similarly, with no goals on either side despite another power play for the Huskies.
The third period began with an early goal for the Huskies by Raphael Pelletier. The Huskies continued to unleash an offensive storm against the Bisons, but roughly eight minutes into the second period, the Bisons were finally able to equalize with a resounding goal by Joel Purdom, assisted by Bruce and Grady Lane.
With six minutes remaining in the game, the Huskies conceded a penalty, giving the Bisons a power play. They were unable to take advantage of the power play, but made up for it when Bisons’ Dawson Pasternak scored his first goal of the season at 16:37, assisted by Caden Zaplitny.
The Bisons clung to their lead against the Huskies and won the game 2-1, finishing with 17 shots on goal compared to the Huskies’ 39.
After the game, Bisons head coach Gordon Burnett said the win came down to playing smarter and competing harder.
“I thought we showed some maturity in our game. Obviously, there’s some mistakes, but that’s the game.”
Burnett credited the penalty kill for keeping the Bisons in the game. He added, “We’re fortunate to get out of there with an even special teams battle.”
“The thing that really stood out for me was what we did in the third period, which I thought was essentially maturity,” Burnett said. “Risk management, putting pucks in safe places […] when you do that, you give yourself a chance.”
Burnett said the difference from the night before was the effort and maturity put in game two.
With injuries pushing several young players into the lineup, Burnett shared that the team has asked their rookies to “accelerate their learning curve and […] adapt to the new level” faster than first-year players usually do.
“Some guys come in, and they don’t play much in their first year, but this year, just because of circumstances, they are playing, and they’re playing a lot right away,” he said. “In the long run, it [will] help them, but in the short term, we need them to be real good and to learn real fast.”
The Bisons men’s hockey team are scheduled to play the Alberta Golden Bears in Edmonton, Alta. on Oct. 23 and 24. In their last matchup against Alberta on Jan. 21, the herd won the game 3-2.
