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AAA Bisons ready for Mac's tournament

Christmas will once again come a day late for the Airdrie CFR Chemical Bisons.

For the third year in a row, Airdrie’s top U17 hockey team will compete at the Mac’s AAA Midget World Invitational Hockey Tournament from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, 2020.

“It’s absolutely a highlight of the year,” head coach Dustin Taylor said. “It provides a really good platform for the kids to showcase who they are as players, because it’s always heavily scouted by major junior teams and colleges. It’s always awesome to see how much the players amplify their game, because of that.”

Held in Calgary each year in the week following Christmas, the Mac’s tournament is one of the most prestigious invitational hockey showcases in Canada for elite midget teams. Additionally, the tourney often features teams from the United States or Europe.

Mac’s has become one of the biggest yearly hockey events in Calgary, according to Taylor, and there is always a buzz around the city in the lead-up.

“No matter who you talk to, if they’re in the world of hockey, the Mac’s tournament is something that gets brought up a lot,” he said.

“Families will plan their holidays around the schedule of certain teams they want to watch, which is another cool element you don’t typically see for players in this age group.”

While the team has struggled in the Alberta AAA Midget Hockey League (AMHL) since relocating to Airdrie from Strathmore three years ago, the Bisons generally puts for a competitive showing at the tournament. Last year, the team won three out of its five games, finishing second in the round robin before being knocked out in the quarterfinals.

“They tend to outperform pre-determined projections from the public,” Taylor said. “I’m biased, obviously, but I truly believe in these kids and what they can accomplish, regardless of where they play.”

Repeating last year’s accomplishment of qualifying for the knockout stages would be an impressive task for Airdrie, which will face-off against four tough teams in Pool 4.

Two of the Bisons’ opponents – the Moosejaw Warriors and the Cariboo Cougars – will be new foes, and neither will be a pushover. Moosejaw is the top team in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA League, as of Dec. 16, while Cariboo is third in the British Columbia Major Midget Hockey League.

The Bisons’ other opponents will be more familiar – the St. Albert Raiders, which leads the AMHL in points, and the Calgary Royals. Both are teams Airdrie plays against during the regular season.

For 17 of the Bisons players, this year will mark their first time competing at the esteemed tournament, Taylor said. The only members who were on the team last year are goaltender Garrett Fuller, defenseman Owen Lugowski and Parker Jorginson, who was a Bisons affiliate last season.

“I think seeing the past success of the Bisons at the Mac’s, there’s a lot of excitement in the room,” said 17-year-old Fuller. “It’s the first time for pretty much everyone on our team, so we’re all looking forward to it.”

Airdrie will begin the tournament at 10 a.m. on Boxing Day against the Cougars at the Flames Community Arena. The team’s other round-robin games will be held daily Dec. 28 to 30, at different arenas in Calgary. For a full schedule, visit macstournament.ab.ca

“Our pool is tough and we have some early morning games, but we think that’s where we have an advantage,” Fuller said. “We’ve been practicing in the morning every day through the whole season, so those morning games will set up perfectly for us.”

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