It’s been on the lips of every Okotoks Junior B Bison to pull a jersey over their heads this season.

Rattling around in the back of their minds, a favourite topic of conversation in the locker room, is a return engagement with the Blackfalds Wranglers which may well determine who’s the top dog in the Heritage Junior Hockey League regular season.

Bisons’ goaltender Christian Chivilo said players have been looking forward to the Jan. 22 game at the Murray Arena for some time.

“We know it’s going to be probably our biggest game of the year so far,” said Chivilo.

The Bisons have all but sewn up top spot in the South Division so Okotoks’ season won’t rest on one game, but with the playoffs looming large it will provide a good test in preparation for the post-season.

Bisons head coach Mike Hannigan said the first match-up between the Bisons and Wranglers Nov. 8 was a turning point in the team’s season.

“Tight game, it was like a playoff game in the middle of the year,” said Hannigan. “So I think they are looking forward to it more to just have another good game like that.”

The Bisons downed the Wranglers in Blackfalds 6-5, the Wranglers’ only loss to date.

The Wranglers led the league in offence with 157 goals but the Bisons boast the best goalie tandem in Chivilo and Bryce Scherschel, who have a combined 2.23 goals against average.

Shutting down the Wranglers’ top line of Kurtis Ross, Kyle Moss and David Jantzie, who are one, two, three in league scoring, is key to beating Blackfalds according to Chivilo.

“If we shut them down, we should be good. After that they don’t have a lot of depth,” said Chivilo. “It’s that top line that does pretty much all the scoring for them.”

The Bisons’ defence is up to the task of shutting down any offence in the league according to Chivilo, even a high-powered one like Blackfalds.

“If we don’t let it get into our heads that they are the top goal-scoring team in the league then we should be fine,” said the netminder.

Unlike the Bisons, Blackfalds has had its fair share of blowout wins this year. The Wranglers’ largest margin of victory came against the Banff Academy Bears, 14-1, which they followed up with an 11-0 win over Stettler almost one month later. By comparison, the Oilers have never scored more than seven goals in one game and their biggest blowout came at the expense of the High River Flyers, 7-1, on Oct. 25 at home.

“That’s the difference between us and Blackfalds that I can see, is that they have had quite a few walk-throughs where they have won 16-0 or 12-0,” said Hannigan.

Although the Wranglers could be a playoff foe for the Bisons neither Hannigan nor Chivilo want to look past the Airdrie Thunder, who the Bisons have knocked out of the playoffs the past two years.

“We are looking to get past the first round and we’ll be probably be playing Airdrie,” said Chivilo. “That’s going to be a big series, it’s been every year and I know they are looking to get revenge on us for the last couple of years.”

Hannigan said Airdrie was most likely the Bisons’ biggest rival, but possible first-round opponent, High River, was sneaking up and could pose a challenge.

“I think they are a team that’s snake-bitten a little bit. I think they are better than their scores indicate in a lot of their games,” said Hannigan of the Flyers.

“It always seems to be that the season comes to a head with Airdrie.”

Ryan Kurucz scored goals three different ways: even-strength, short-handed and on the power play for the Bisons in a 6-2 win over the Stettler Lightning Saturday.

His third goal came via the power play and was part of a four-goal third period outburst that smothered the Lightning at the Stettler Recreation Centre. Chase Fallis, Brady Hoetmer and Derek Schlamp also scored in the third frame.

Dylan Kendrick, Tom Mikrut and Matthew Gelinas notched two assists each Saturday evening and Culver, Cody Ellerby and Lane Wagner each added a single assist.

Schlamp had a three-point weekend, including assisting on the game-tying goal Sunday at home versus Red Deer.

Red Deer and the Bisons skated to a 5-5 tie at the Murray Arena after Schlamp set up Brady Hoetmer in the third. Schlamp opened the five-goal third period just seven seconds converting a pass from Joel Culver.

Fallis scored just under two minutes later before Red Deer scored twice to tie the game to force overtime.

Max Thevenot and Culver recorded the first two goals for the Bisons. Jeff Derwent, Peter Soroka, Gelinas and Hoetmer also had assists for the Bisons on Sunday.

The Bisons sit 15 points ahead of the second place Medicine Hat Cubs in the Heritage Junior Hockey League’s South Division with six games left to play. The Bisons play twice at home this weekend including Friday against the Blackfalds Wranglers at 8 p.m. at the Murray Arena and Sunday at 1:15 p.m. against the Strathmore Wheatland Kings.

rnorthrop@okotoks.greatwest.ca

http://www.heritagejuniorb.com/sites/3333/page.asp?Site=9951&page=news_league&LeagueID=9951

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