When Conner Bleackley made a toe drag and put a wrist shot top corner, to put the UFA Bisons up 1-0 with 3:11 left, it looked like he had pushed his team to its second straight victory at the Macís AAA Midget World Invitational Tournament.
But the Beardyís Blackhawks, from Duck Lake, Sask., had other plans during a wild final frame at the Max Bell Centre in Calgary, Dec. 27.
Braden Oleksyn tied the game at one with 1:10 left. His teammate Brett Boehm then had a chance to win the game on a penalty shot 18 seconds later, but put the puck over the glove of former Airdrie Xtreme goalie Wilson Sproule, who is from Lyalta.
Moments later, with 1.4 seconds left on the clock, former Xtreme blueliner Chandler Irvin, from Cochrane, thought he had won the game when his shot from the point hit the back of the net.
But the referee called off the goal because of a crease violation, setting off confusion from fans of both teams, as well as Bisonsí head coach Jeremy Friesen.
ìA got a good look at it and think itís a (bad) call,î he said. ìThere wasnít anybody near the net in my opinion and weíve got it on video, so weíll have a look after.
ìWeíve had this guy (referee) a couple times this year and itís the same old story. I hate to throw an official under the bus, but this is the third, fourth or fifth time heís called a game like that. You watch him wave it off and he doesnít even actually wave it off on the play. He just put his hand in the air.î
The Bisons won their first game of the famed Macís tournament 6-2 over the Vancouver Northwest Giants, Dec. 26, as well as its third game, a 6-4 triumph over the Edmonton South Side Athletic Club, Dec. 28.
The team, based in Strathmore, features a number of other players from Rocky View: Cochraneís Tyler Wong, Chestermereís Mitchell McAllister, Langdonís Devon Westby and Balzacís Austin Masse.
The Bisons had two previous power play chances in the third period against the Blackhawks, before Bleackley scored to put UFA up 1-0 on a four-minute man advantage.
Friesen said he told his players that they would need to score more earlier in the game if the team is to have success in the short tournament, which wrapped on New Yearís Day after press time.
ìThat shouldnít have been a one-goal hockey game,î he said. ìYou can look at that last play, but it shouldnít have came down to that. We put ourselves in that position and didnít bear down and take advantage when we needed to. Itís another learning lesson.
ìEven the penalty kill near the end, when they tied it up, was just a breakdown where a guy got left alone in front of the net.î
Sproule, who played one season with the Xtreme and won bronze at the Western Canadian Bantam AAA Championships, made several key saves in the final 10 minutes of the game, as well as facing the penalty shot, to keep the Bisons close.
ìA lot of nerves during the penalty shot, but heís just steady,î Friesen said. ìHeís fantastic and heís our backbone back there. We know heís going to give us a chance every night. I thought we deserved better today, but thatís a great team down the hall.î
The UFA Bisons played Sherwood Park, in its final round-robin game after the Rocky View Weekly went to press, Dec. 30.
