The UFA Bisons are now aware that momentum can become a huge factor in a short tournament.
But the Strathmore-based team, featuring several players from Airdrie and Rocky View county, was unable to complete its run through the Mac’s AAA Midget World Invitational Tournament, dropping a 5-0 decision to Russia’s Severstal/Locomotiv team in the gold medal game at the Scotiabank Saddledome, Jan. 1.
Despite the lopsided final score, Wilson Sproule, the Bisons’ 17-year-old goalie from Lyalta, was named tournament MVP and a tournament first team all-star.
“Wilson was fantastic in getting the tournament MVP and first all-star,” said Bisons head coach Jeremy Friesen. “He kept us in it in the first period, as he had all tournament, and we were just unable to get him that lead.”
The game was scoreless for more than 25 minutes before Ahmed Gimbatov put Russia up 1-0. Artur Chuvilyaev added another late in the second, while Alexander Sharov scored a natural hat trick in the third.
The Bisons were outshot 32-18, but Friesen said he thought the game was still close through the first 30 minutes.
“I thought that we were right in there for the first period. We weren’t generating a lot of offence, but we weren’t giving up much either,” he said.
“Then we got into a bit of penalty trouble in the second period. Russia didn’t capitalize on them but they got a lot of momentum from the chances. They started freewheeling in the neutral zone and created a lot of opportunities, while we were just unable to get our legs underneath us after that.”
Severstal, which also won the tournament in 2007, defeated the Bisons 4-2 in a pre-tournament exhibition game. For the Bisons, who won the Mac’s in 1998, it was its fourth appearance in the championship game.
The Bisons earned a spot in the final after beating the Calgary Flames 4-2 in a quarter-final and the Prince Albert Mintos 4-2 in the semifinal of the 25-team tournament.
Friesen said using the momentum was essential for his team’s success.
“It was great for the guys to experience that and show themselves what they are capable of doing. We’ve tried to build a team that has depth and balance. Twice in this tournament we were down by two goals and came back, so that shows a lot of character. We learned a lot about our hockey team. It was a great experience,” he said.
“All season, we haven’t been getting some of the wins we thought we should have gotten – and we’ve learned a lot from those experiences. When we put it all together and play within a structure, we’re a pretty effective team. We’re going to be a pretty tough team in the playoffs when you get to a three- or five-game set.”
