The Okotoks Junior B Bisons should carve it into stone tablets. Tattoo it on their arms. Call Webster and get it into the dictionary.

“If thou wants to beat the High River Flyers thou shalt stay out of yonder penalty box.”

The Bisons and the Flyers are meeting in the opening round of the Heritage Junior B Hockey League playoffs which began with Game 1 of the best of five game series on Feb. 16 in Okotoks.

Chance De Paoli of the Okotoks Bisons, left, battles Travis Robinson of the Medicine Hat Cubs during the Bisons regular season finale of Friday. The Bisons lost in overtime 4-3.

The Flyers led the Heritage Junior Hockey League in penalty minutes with 1,713 — a whopping 321 minutes more than the next highest team, the Airdrie Thunder. By comparison the Okotoks Bisons tallied 1,080 over 36 games played this year.

“You definitely have to keep your cool around these guys,” said Bison rookie defenceman Zane Briggs of their High River rivals.

Briggs said if the Bisons get lured into retaliation penalties, games against the Flyers can go downhill fast, which is exactly what High River would like to see in a quick five-game playoff series.

The Bisons finished the regular season with the second-highest point total in the league at 62 and have just two blemishes on an otherwise sparkling campaign. Being ousted from the playoffs by the Flyers would be a monumental upset for the Bisons.

“They like to take the body so we can take the body too with them, take their hits and we should be good,” said Bisons defenceman Chance DePaoli.

Briggs and DePaoli have something else to play for: bragging rights. Between the two they probably know every player on the Flyers roster and in DePaoli’s case he still gets ribbing from his friends for choosing to skate for the Bisons over the Flyers.

“You get pretty good butterflies,” said DePaoli of playing the Flyers.

The Bisons were perfect against the Flyers this season; in fact, High River has yet to beat Okotoks in the regular season — ever. In the four meetings this season the Flyers have been outscored 20-3.

Statistically speaking the Bisons were the better team all year, but the playoffs are a different animal. DePaoli said being the top dog going into the postseason is adding to his nerves.

“There’s that too but I don’t want to lose. They’re my friends.

I want to go to the next round of playoffs too,” said DePaoli.

After suffering two Game 7 semifinal losses to the Cochrane Generals in back-to-back years, the Bisons are solidly focused on provincials.

“We’re really hungry because we have come close every year. We are expecting to go to provincials this year, we have high expectations,” said DePaoli.

As a rookie, Briggs doesn’t have the baggage that comes with two heartbreaking semifinal losses. He said he is trying to live up to expectations veterans have for the season, however.

“You kind of have to put yourself in that position. Thinking of what everyone is used to,” said Briggs.

Jay McFarlane, Bisons general manager, said if his team had a wish list it would be to get the series over in three games and move on. But, he admits, things don’t always go according to plan.

“If you give a team hope and momentum, it’s tough to stop that in a five-game series,” said McFarlane.

While optimistic about the outcome of the series, McFarlane has seen teams get caught overlooking an inferior opponent in the opening round of the playoffs.

“It’s completely up to us to decide how far we go,” said McFarlane.

A nice combination of experience and talented young players makes this the best Bisons team in four years according to McFarlane.

History is also on the Bisons’ side having never lost a regular season game to the Flyers, but this is the first time in history the two teams have met in the Heritage League playoffs.

The two teams meet again in Game 2 Feb. 18 in High River at 8:30 p.m.

Game 3 of the best of five series starts at 8 p.m. on Feb. 19 at the Murray Arena. If necessary, Games 4 and 5 take place Feb. 21 in High River at 1:30 p.m. and Feb. 23 at the Murray Arena at 8:15 p.m.

rnorthrop@okotoks.greatwest.ca

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

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